We are Legends, Love
by ModernQueenSerenity
Summary: It's been thousands of years since the last heroes of the Triforce disappeared and all of their deeds have faded into legends and wives-tales. Zelda, a young Sheikah, discovered that she was blessed with the Triforce of Wisdom and must work with Hyrule's royal heir, Prince Link, to defeat the King of Evil to discover their true destinies hidden behind the old stories. Link/Zelda.
1. Premonition

She should have known better.

When Zelda woke up, the first thing she thought about was the pain in her left hand, or at least the pain that she was expecting to be there. She sat up quickly and observed the back of her hand. It was clear of any markings and the young girl nearly cried in relief. For the past two weeks, the Triforce of Wisdom that rested within her has been resonating. Typically this wouldn't be such a big occasion, as it usually occurred whenever she used any magical abilities or as a sign that something significant was about to happen. But those events happened in short bursts and were pretty much harmless. This episode was, however, truly terrible. The pulsing glow of the Triforce appeared one evening while she was combat training and it never stopped. What made it worse was the stabbing pain that came with it and also never yielded. As hard as Zelda tried, she could not figure out why that was happening. It began to scare her.

She never told anyone about it either. She knew she probably should have, but she didn't wish to scare anyone else. As well, there weren't many people to go to anyway. It was a complete secret to everyone in the Sheikah tribe that she held a piece of the Triforce within her. The only one who knew was her guardian and leader of the Sheikah people. The Golden Goddesses gave her this gift when a horde of monsters directly attacked the village the Sheikah called home. Zelda suspected that it was one of the reasons she survived, as there were a large amount of casualties in the battle, including both her parents. For years after, Impa and Zelda tried hard to figure out more about what holding the Triforce of Wisdom meant for her, but their search left them dry aside from a few legends and stories.

For this reason, Zelda believed it was best to keep her pain to herself. Thankfully the resonating stopped before it became too obvious. After saying a quick prayer to the Goddesses, she got dressed and exited her room to begin making breakfast.

"Good morning Zelda," a strong voice said from behind her. It belonged to Impa, the leader of the Sheikah, her guardian.

"Good morning," Zelda responded cheerfully as she began set out plates of food for the two of them.

"Has your wrist completely healed? You don't have it wrapped anymore," Impa, as observant and direct as ever, noticed her change in situation right away. Zelda was wearing heavy amounts of bandages to hide the Triforce's bright glow, blaming it on an injury sustained during a training exercise that she went through before the incident began. She was actually surprised Impa of all people accepted that excuse, because she's always seen through her lies in the past.

Unfortunately, the worst part of creating a convincing lie is being able to stay consistent with the story.

As if to call her out on it, the Triforce once again began to act up. Zelda reacted quickly, covering the mark with her other hand, but she pulled it away instantly when she felt the searing heat coming from it. The pain began again, this time even more fervently. It started on the mark and spread up her arm, through her chest, then to her other limbs, until it felt like her entire body was on fire. The pain zapped her of whatever resistance she had left and Zelda cracked, falling to the hard floor as she screamed in agony. Impa was soon at her protégé's side, face somehow calm, but in her eyes was fear. This only induced more panic in the poor girl. Impa was never afraid of anything…

Zelda tried her hardest to fight, to stay awake. Her vision was getting hazy and dim around the edges, but she couldn't let herself pass out. Who knew if she would wake up afterward? She screamed more, in hope that focusing on some sort of task would give her a chance at recovering the consciousness she was losing. It only ended up tiring her out more, so after a few minutes Zelda unwillingly plunged into darkness.

xxx

She was floating in the sky, looking down on a large castle surrounded by a bustling city. The scene was so clear; it almost felt like Zelda was actually there. Yet something insider her told her that it wasn't real. That it was just a vision. She looked more closely at the city. Everything was peaceful there; people seemed to be just going amongst their day to day life as if nothing was wrong.

Zelda, however, felt the darkness brewing. Dread and terror filled her as she saw it coming off the horizon. An army of people dressed in dark armor followed by disgusting demons marched straight toward the city walls at an incredible speed. Their speed would give the city's people no time to prepare. As the horrible group grew steadily closer, she could see at its front a man who emanated a powerful red aura. She felt her heart sinking in her chest when she saw him. She knew him. Somehow Zelda know him and she knew that he should be feared.

Zelda wanted to cry out. To tell him to stop, to warn the city of the upcoming danger, but she couldn't. She could only observe the scene before her with clenched fists. The guards posted at the city gates were able to close them, but that wasn't enough to keep the evil at bay. They made quick work of the gates and immediately began their storm through the streets. People screamed and cried as panic surged though them. Chaos ran ramped as some were slaughtered and others forced into quick hiding. Just as a core group of the army, including that man, made its way to the castle, a bright golden light illuminated the area, causing them to stop dead in their path and screech. Zelda searched frantically for the source of the light, recognizing it as the same glow of the Triforce that shows on her own hand. The light was brightest coming from the castle windows, as if the source of it was inside. From the windows she could also see small streaks of a bold green mixing with the shimmering gold, but it was soon overtaken as the gold grew. It engulfed the city, blinding her until she could only see blackness. As this happened, she heard a small voice. A woman's voice, with a light angelic quality.

 _Chosen hero of wisdom, find the bearer of courage and destroy the wielder of unnecessary power. The Goddesses bestow their blessings on you._

xxx

Zelda opened her eyes. She was once again in the small kitchen, her head now resting on Impa's lap. Her guardian sighed heavily in relief upon seeing her gain consciousness.

"Are you alright? Did the pain stop?" Impa asked, quickly.

"Yes, I'm fine," Zelda answered as she began to sit up. Her head spun slightly, but she did actually feel better than fine. The pain was completely gone, replaced with an energy she's only ever felt when casting magic spells. It was felt like sparks running through her veins. She surveyed the back of her hand again, seeing the Triforce return to its usual faint glow. It was strange, but she had the sense that the pain was needed to fully awaken her powers and her destiny. She would have taken a moment to relish in it, had for what she just witnessed.

Zelda turned back to Impa, eyes wide as the fear shot though her once again, but she calmed herself quickly.

"I… I just saw something, a vision," she began. Impa looked back at her attentively, but the look on her face showed as if she already knew what Zelda was about to say. "There's going to be an attack on the castle. The King of Evil is returning."

"Are you certain?" Impa questioned, seriously. The woman closed her eyes in concentrated thought when Zelda nodded. Her guardian stood with a sudden urgency, looking down at the young girl with stern, commanding eyes. "Pack your things. You're coming with me to Hyrule Castle."

* * *

Author's Note: And this begins the new tale of Zelda! You'll see as the story continues that I'm going to try my best to include little pieces and references of every main Zelda game in this story. If you're a little confused right now as far as whats going on, I will have a future chapter that does explain why everything is happening the way it is, but for now just know that pretty much every franchise game and the spin off game Hyrule Warriors are a part of this story's cannon and did happen as historical events. I've come up with a lot of stories in the past, but I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite stories I've come up with. With that being said, I'm setting a goal for myself to update the story at least once a week until it is finished. Will that actually happen? We'll see once I get bogged down with school work and actual work again come January! But do know that I actually have the plot of this story pretty extensively planned out in a journal from beginning to end, so I definitely won't forget my ideas. It's going to be a fun ride and I can't wait to share it with all of you!


	2. Chosen Successor

Zelda's brows furrowed as she thought. Her go to Hyrule Castle? Sure Impa was headed there later on in the day, but as the leader of the Sheikah it was expected that she make an occasional show there. Zelda has only left Kakariko Village when on missions, but has never once been even close enough to even see anything besides the silhouette of the castle and its surrounding city on the horizon. Besides, what could she even do there? Wouldn't it be better if she stayed in Kakariko in Impa's stead, helping the others prepare for whatever was coming their way?

Impa was already up and going back and forth between the rooms of their home, moving with a swift, urgent purpose. The stern woman eyed the young girl, who was still sitting on the wooden floor in utter shock from everything that has just unfolded. Zelda took a deep breath and began to follow Impa's lead. Obviously she had something planned.

"Don't be afraid to pack heavily. Bring everything you can think you would have a small chance of needing. Weapons, medical supplies, your books on magic, dresses and gloves. Everything," Impa directed. Zelda would have cringed at the idea of practically preparing for war, if it weren't for the last direction that caught her off guard.

"Dresses and gloves?" She questioned.

"You are going to the castle and will meet royalty. As a representative of the Sheikah, you need to present well," Impa informed. Again, Zelda paused in thought. She personally knows that Impa did not own a dress herself. In fact, the thought of even seeing her wear one, borrowed or not, made Zelda uncomfortable. All of the Sheikah people wore flexible clothing and light armor, as it was better to fight in, and Impa was no exception to this unwritten rule. While the Sheikah did own other clothing, such as formal wear, it was very rarely worn. With everything that had just happened, Zelda was still surprised by this request. She suspected she needed to get used to surprises, and quickly.

The blonde made her way to her bedroom to begin gathering the necessary equipment. The room was simple, mainly composed of wooden furnishings that matched the walls and floors of the house. What she lacked in decoration was made up for in the massive amount of books she had. Colorful spines filled the bookshelf in neat rows. Books were stacked high on her writing desk and even more were stacked on the floor beside it. A bright green book sat on the small bedside table, the page Zelda stopped reading at marked by a bright blue tassel. She glanced through the named of books quickly, making sure to pull each one she felt pertinent in some form. These important books consisted of the books on magic Impa had suggested earlier and the few the pair could gather on Hyrule's ancient history and legends. After collecting everything she needed from her room, Zelda grabbed various cases and bags to begin packing it all away.

As she did, she grabbed something that caught her attention. It was a decently sized brown satchel that could easily be tied around your belt to your hip or to a horse's saddle. She immediately recognized it as one of her early magical projects. When she was younger and still testing her magical abilities, the girl had found a spell to create a bag with an infinite amount of space. According to the book, the magic bag would shrink any object the user puts in it while still making the bag appear feel like it has no weight in it. When you needed an item from the bag, the user just had to put their hand inside and will it to come. In theory, Zelda would be able to fit everything she had needed to pack into this bag and carry it into the castle in one hand. However, she never tested the object with anything besides stacks of paper she had before forgetting about the project and moving on to other things. Curiously, she reached her hand into the bag and thought hard about the paper. When she pulled it back, she was satisfied to see several sheets of cream paper now in her grasp. She added it to the pile of things to pack, wanting to test the object further before putting more in it.

When Zelda exited her room, she found most of what else she needed already scattered along the room by Impa. Food rations lay out on the small kitchen table, potions were sprawled across the countertop, and variously sized bandage wraps sat on the chair. An array of weapons were put on the floor, including two sets of bows with a loaded quiver each, Zelda's favorite rapier, Impa's large broadsword, and many different sets of knives. Impa was in the kitchen area, carefully organizing the objects into various bags and cases. Zelda began to make her way over to help when Impa spoke up again.

"All of your personal items accounted for?" Zelda nodded. "Good. I'm alright here. Begin preparing two horses and a cart. Take your horse and whichever other horse that is available to keep up with him." Impa didn't look up the whole time she gave her orders, though it wasn't like she really had to. The Sheikah leader had a frighteningly commanding presence and a voice that easily carried through a room. Zelda always believed she could direct the entire Hyrulian army through just a flick of her wrist. Her demeanor coupled with her heroism made it no surprise that she was a respected leader throughout Hyrule.

Zelda made her way over to the stables, still enveloped deeply in thought. So deeply, in fact, she almost ran into someone. It was a boy, named Mozak, whom she was friends. He was a few years younger than her, with bright red hair and youthful features that made him look even younger than that.

"Everything alright? You seem a little… out of it," Mozak said, his head tilted slightly to the right.

"Yes of course. I'm just thinking," Zelda lied, coolly.

Mozak chucked. "You're always thinking. I would have completely run out of thoughts if I did as much thinking as you did. Sure you don't need help with anything, though?"

"Actually, if you aren't busy, can you help me tack up Deit and another horse to a cart? Impa asked me to prepare them for our trip to Hyrule Castle."

Zelda began to continue to walk to the stables when Mozak just looked at her in shock. "What was that? You're going to the capital as well? I thought it was just Impa?"

Zelda shrugged, feigning innocence. "I'm not really sure why either. She just told me this."

"Well aren't you lucky. You'll have to tell me all about it when you get back. I bet they have really great food," mused Mozak as they made their way over.

Zelda immediately approached a distinctive palomino horse, Deit. He neighed with delight when she neared him. Deit was her own personal horse, which was quite an oddity among the Sheikah people. For the most part, the horses were owned by the tribe as a whole, so they could be easily used by anyone who may need them at the time. This particular horse was stubborn and hard to handle, but when Zelda worked with him he was calm and willing to please. It was for this reason that no one else really liked to deal with him, making her the sole owner.

The pair was able to get a cart prepared for departure quickly and after Impa had made sure everything was packed and secured, they two Sheikah women were off. The ride had begun in complete silence. Zelda could only continue to think about the coming events. What would she even do in Hyrule Castle? Where her visions even correct? No, she thought, they definitely were correct. Eventually, she just couldn't stand the unknown of what she was going to be doing anymore.

"What am I even going to say to them?" She spoke up.

"I want you to tell the Prince and his court what you saw and what needs to be done about it," Impa said, simply. To Zelda, it felt anything but.

"Me? Direct people? With all due respect, isn't that more so what you should do?" Zelda asked, hesitant about the idea.

"Zelda, truth be told, I was going to Hyrule Castle today partly for regular business, but also to inform the court that I had chosen you as my successor," Impa began. Zelda's head turned toward her guardian in shock. "The court likes to hear about who they should expect as the new leader of the surrounding communities before full power is transferred. For the Goron and Zora races, the transfer of power is more predictable as it runs between families. For us, it's quite obviously different. Though I'm not sure why they feel they should approve of the next leader, it's not as if they could change my mind."

Zelda's mind was reeling. All this information was almost too much to gather in one day. "You want to name me your successor?"

"But of course. You're the most skilled fighter in your age class. Not to mention, a stellar set of leadership skills and manners due to your upbringing," Impa chuckled lightly at her own joke. "You also possess the Triforce of Wisdom. It is a true sign of a hero and leader to be gifted such a power by the Goddesses. You will make a fine Sheikah leader."

Zelda was truly honored to hear this, coming from both her guardian and leader, but she felt the last part ring a bit hollow in her ears. A sign of a hero. A sign now she feared meant she was destined to fight a great evil. The idea made her shiver. Just because she was supposed to be a hero, would that make her a good leader as well? She wasn't so sure.

Thankfully for the slightly on edge Zelda, the rest of the long trip to Hyrule Capital went on without any hiccups. They road on easily as Impa instructed her newly named successor on important names and ranks she should know that she would have been taught in the coming weeks had her vision not come to her. Zelda, true to her gifted Triforce, took in all the information she was given and began planning her interactions carefully. However, that planning went to waste as she felt a cold wave wash over her as soon as they had passed through the castle gates onto the grounds.

"Impa…" she paused, quickly thinking of a new plan. "Don't tell anyone I have a piece of the Triforce."

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"There's something wrong here. I don't know what it is, exactly, but I can feel it." A breeze shifted the air around her, bringing a warmth with it that reminded her once again of her vision. Of the bright gold and faint green. "I rather not put anyone in danger if they know I'm a holder offhand. Just like in Kakariko."

Impa nodded. "This is a perfect demonstration of why I chose you as successor. We'll get through this."


	3. Disbelief in the Court

The Sheikah were greeted quickly after their arrival by a group of different people. The captain of the guard, equipped with glittering armor, came up to the pair and began to speak to them directly. Stable hands began to tend to the tired horses while other servants unloaded their things from the cart to bring them inside. Impa spoke with the captain, explaining who the young girl was and why she had come along without notice. The Sheikah leader demanded an audience with his highness and the court as soon as possible, a request with the captain enthusiastically acknowledged. Even in the presence of the captain of the entire Hyrulian army, Impa could easily gain a high amount of respect and assure that her wishes would be carried out swiftly. In fact, the captain followed her orders as hurriedly as if she were a noble herself.

Zelda, meanwhile, was standing silently, taking in her surroundings. She was surveying the area for the imminent threat she had felt, but was quickly enthralled by the beauty of the palace itself. It had elegant towers that stretched high into the sky, colorful surrounding gardens, and exquisite art in the form of statues and fountains in various places to further adorn the area. It was the most marvelous thing she's ever seen. She also felt a strange familiarity about the area, though she couldn't image why. She's certain she's never been there before.

Within a short amount of time, the wagon had been completely emptied and they were being led inside the castle by another member of the guard. They entered through a grand set of doors that led into a magnificent ball room. It was decorated with artistic tile arrangements, a large crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, and stained glass windows depicting various different scenes. The overall effect made the room filled to the brim with a full spectrum of colored light that danced as they moved forward. It had two large staircases on either side of the room, leading up to a surrounding balcony. The two Sheikah women were further led through various halls of the first floor of the castle. Each was decorated splendidly. Beautiful runners stretched across every hall from beginning to end. Portraits of the royal family and historical scenes were hung throughout the halls to fill empty space between more large windows. Impa and Zelda were eventually shown two different rooms, one right across the hall from the other. Zelda entered her respective room to find that it, again, was nicely designed. What especially caught her eye were her belongings, which were neatly laid out in one of the corners of the room, and the bed, which looked twice as large as hers in both width and thickness. She halfway wondered what the prince's bed was like if guests were granted such a luxury. Once they stated they were satisfied, the guard left them alone. Impa was quick to get to business.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, leading them into her bedroom as she began to rummage through her cases.

"A bit overwhelmed. But otherwise, I'm fine," Zelda answered, honestly.

"I was the same way. I promise you get more comfortable with it in time. Here," Impa pulled a floor length lavender dress from a case and held it straight to display to Zelda. It had a high neckline and no sleeves, a fitted bodice and A-line skirt. For the most part it was rather simple, aside from the embroidered embellishments at the bottom of the dress. It was beautiful, but strange to her. She couldn't imagine Impa ever wearing this herself.

"What is this from?" she asked, taking the dress from Impa's hands. It was soft to the touch and very light.

"It was the dress your mother married you father in. I saved it for you after the attack on the village. I figured she would want you to wear it for something special as well, and what a better time than now?" Impa began to rummage though her things again. "Go put that on, along with gloves, if you still wish to conceal the Triforce. I'll be in your room once I am ready myself to help you further prepare."

Zelda did as Impa said, all the while trying to formulate a plan for what to do within the next few days. Though she was certain that the attack on the castle was bound to happen, she hadn't much of a clue as far as how to go about it. Impa entered Zelda's room after a short knock a few minutes later. She still wasn't in a dress, but rather in a more traditional Sheikah uniform, which was covered in silvery armor around vital areas.

"No need to be nervous," Impa assured her in a soft voice. She sat on the bed and motioned her to come sit down as well. When Zelda did, Impa carefully began to undo the braid in Zelda's long blonde hair. Impa spoke as she redid Zelda's hair, speaking calmly about how the next events would play out. After what felt like ages of waiting, two guards arrived to escort them to the throne room. Zelda was confident in herself as she stood in front of yet another set of large wooden doors. When it was opened, she was thrown into a shock.

She was expecting a lot of people to bear witness to their meeting, but the feeling of all eyes shifting to her so suddenly made her slightly nervous. Men and women lined both sides of the room, sporting elegant clothing unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Zelda followed Impa forward into the room, holding her head high to hide her hesitations. In the front of the room were three thrones, two of which were currently occupied. Above those was a massive statue, both in size and detail, depicting the Triforce and the three Golden Goddesses. Maybe it was just her imagination or a purposeful design choice, but it felt as if even the Goddesses were starring at her as well.

They approached the halfway point of the room and bowed in front of Prince Link. It was at this point that Zelda got a good look at the two figures in the front of the room. The prince himself she knew was her age, only older by a year according to Impa. He sat in the largest center throne, sky blue eyes bright with interest at their arrival. He looked the typical part of a prince, with sleek yet highly decorated clothing complete with a delicate golden crown that circled the top of his head. His look was betrayed, however, by a weird boyish charm he emitted through his smile and messiness of his dirty blonde hair. The man to the prince's right hand side was his primary advisor, a man Impa told her about earlier. She had informed Zelda that this man, Ganondorf, could appear intimidating and now she understood why. He was huge in height and stature, easily seven feet tall and twice her width. His skin was a darkened olive color that was taut around his features, showing off every line of his angular face. He held a pen and paper in his hands as he sat. Unlike the prince, the look he gave the Sheikah people was cold and annoyed.

"Your Highnesses," Impa said as she rose from her bow. "I apologize for the sudden urgency of this meeting."

"No need to apologize Lady Impa. We are always happy to have representatives of the Sheikah here. We're ready and willing to hear out your concerns," Prince Link stated, honesty oozing from his voice. Zelda had to suppress a smile when she heard Impa referred to as 'lady'.

"If it pleases the court, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce to you someone who is very important to me," Impa began. Ganondorf, who was steadily taking notes already, nodded sternly. Impa took that as a sign to continue. "This is Zelda. She has been under my care since she was just a young girl. She has learned much as my mentee and has proven herself to be skilled in many areas. Since she is now of age, I would like to formal declare her as the next leader of the Sheikah tribe."

There was a murmur through the court. Zelda felt all the eyes back on her again. She took a deep breath and remained calmly still, not letting the attention faze her. Her own attention remained focused on the most important people in the room- Impa, Prince Link, and Ganondorf. The prince looked at her with a warm smile, obviously approving of this announcement, while Ganondorf cleared his throat to quiet the room.

"Is it not policy to ask the approval of the court before naming your successor? What if this girl is not what we expect of the next leader?" Ganondorf stated. His voice was loud, echoing clearly across the stone walls. Another set of whispers started up in the court. Prince Link raised a hand to silence them once again.

"I trust your selection, Lady Impa, and we," he stated, now speaking on the entire courts' behalf. Ganondorf's eyes narrowed at this. "We have no reason to doubt her abilities. But I have to agree that it isn't like you to go against tradition like this." His smile fell now. "There's a reason for that, isn't there?"

"Yes there is. Along with her many skills, Zelda was also born with the ability to perform magic. Because of this, she has," Impa paused, glancing back at the girl, who was just two steps behind her. "If you do not mind, your Highness, I believe she could explain it better than I could." With that Impa took a step to the side, allowing Zelda to step forward. Her heart was beating fast in her chest, but she kept her head up, her gaze steady. When no protests came to Impa's request, Zelda spoke up.

"I am truly honored to be here," her voice was almost as powerful sounding as Ganondorf's. It was clear as tower bell, reaching every corner of the room, causing everyone to focus solely on her. "As Lady Impa began to explain, I have been practicing magic since I had been taken under her care. With this, I've also had the ability to see things about the future. Prophetic visions, if you will. One of these visions I received early this morning. It showed of something that you should be warned of, your Highnesses." The air in the room was growing increasingly tense as she spoke, but she did not stop. "This vision showed a great darkness descending upon Hyrule. A darkness that could not be stopped by any normal means. I believe this to be an urgent sign that the King of Evil from legends will be returning once more."

The people in the room seemed to all intake air at once and release it in a sudden cacophonous chatter. Zelda used the opportunity to look around the room. Looks of confusion, worry, disbelief, even anger, were all mixed among the nobles. Every one of them was trying to talk over the other. She knew her news was unsettling, but this panic wasn't exactly the reaction she was expecting. She had no idea how to settle the crowd. Luckily, or maybe unluckily to Zelda, Ganondorf once again silenced the room with his deep voice.

"What you are suggesting is preposterous. Those are just stories. Lady Impa, you show us this girl only so she can tell her nightmares to us?" Zelda felt her face go hot as red embarrassment spread across her face. "Your Grace, I believe that you would agree with me in saying that this is grounds for a new successor being named, correct?"

Gannondorf was furiously scribbling things down on his paper as Prince Link remained silent to the question. The prince's face remained solemn the whole time, it was almost expressionless except for a knowing look he had in his eyes as he looked at Zelda. She looked back at him, silently pleading him to believe her.

"Lady Zelda," Prince Link said in a cool, calm manner. "What makes you so certain of this vision?" He still looked void of emotion, but his tone struck something within her. He did believe her, he just needed her to reassure the court.

"I heard a voice speaking to me, your Highness. It was unlike any voice I've heard before. I believe it to be the voice of one of the Goddesses herself," Zelda explained, putting emphasis on certain words and in her tone to convince the others. Prince Link looked pleased and continued to pull for her. Zelda silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did the Goddess say to you?" he fished once again.

"She told me to find the heroes of legend, your Highness. The bearers of wisdom and courage." Zelda could tell their exchange was changing the minds of the people in the room. Almost everyone's mind, anyway.

"Your Grace, even if you do believe this, this…" Ganondorf paused for a fraction of a second as he searched for the right word. "Blasphemous claim, where do you propose we find these heroes? There are millions of people within the Kingdom, it could be anyone."

"I have reason to believe one of them is within the castle walls," Zelda spoke loudly in defense of herself. Though she realized she had spoken out of turn, Link gave her a nod to continue. "In my vision, I saw a bright golden light emitting from the castle and turning away the darkness. The source of that light must be someone who can be found here."

"Then it's settled," Prince Link stood now, addressing everyone in the throne room with a commanding voice. It was a strange voice, not as harsh as Impa's, but filled with so much heart that Zelda was sure it worked just as effectively. "I fully believe Lady Zelda. Tomorrow morning we will begin to look out for one of the chosen heroes. It is in the best interest for Hyrule to do so to prepare for the coming times."

* * *

Author's Note: And thus ends the last chapter I had written before publishing! Please leave a review letting me know what you think, I would be happy to hear it. You can also DM me anytime, I'm always willing to chat. Thanks for reading!


	4. Training Yards

As Prince Link announced, the search for the legendary Hero of Hyrule began early the next morning. While Zelda had thought she would be a part of the search, she was quickly burdened with other tasks. There were meetings upon meetings upon meetings. She spoke to the Hylian Captain extensively about her visions, talked to the nobles in the court so they could get a better idea of who she was and her plans for the Sheikah tribe as leader, even conversations with Ganondorf to plan even more meetings that he deemed necessary for some reason. It was exhausting, as well as made her a little uneasy. She knew that she could find the holder of the Triforce of Courage if she were able to search the palace herself. Being the bearer of Wisdom, it would make the most sense that she could find one of her own. However, Zelda and Impa were still the only two who knew that. It was not a secret she would rush to reveal until the evil presence showed itself.

So one day passed, then another. Zelda was itching to go out to the training yards to see the knights of the Hyrulian Army in some sort of action. She figured there, if anywhere, would be the best place to find a hero worthy of bearing the Triforce. Zelda awoke on her third day after the evening of her arrival at the castle only to be brought to yet another formal breakfast. The positive side of being so heavily involved in the political side of the palace, the Sheikah girl had realized, was her newfound ability to be comfortable in a dress.

"Lady Zelda, you're looking lovely this morning," Ganondorf greeted as she walked into the large dining room. It was already filled with noble people chatting about frivolous things. As much as she would love to partake in such conversation, she was focused on more important things.

"No need for flattery, sir." Zelda acknowledged Ganondorf's comment with a flat tone. "I am afraid such compliments might go to my head." Her sarcastic retort was met with a bitter chuckle from Ganondorf. The pair had a very rocky relationship since the Sheikah had arrived at the castle and they made no effort to hide their distaste for one another. It was a miracle that Impa hasn't asked Zelda to behave more properly toward him yet.

"It is my displeasure to say that I won't be dining with you this morning, as I have a very important meeting to attend outside of town. His Highness has requested you sit by him this morning in my stead," Ganondorf said to her and left the room without a goodbye. Zelda used all her strength to hide her sigh of relief. Maybe today she could get something of worth accomplished without him breathing down her neck.

Excited for the day's newly opened possibilities, she quickly made her way to the empty seat beside the prince and bowed slightly.

"Good morning, Your Highness," she started. "I was told that you wished me to sit next to you?"

"Of course!" Prince Link said, obvious happiness emanating from him. Zelda couldn't help but smile, probably the first genuine smile she's had since she arrived at the palace. "I've been looking forward to speaking with you, Lady Zelda. Although somehow things kept coming up, so I never had the chance."

Zelda took a seat before speaking once again. "I've been busy myself. Is life here always so," she paused, searching for the right word, but couldn't find one that accurately described Ganondorf's planning policies without giving her disgust for him away. "Hectic?"

"Actually, usually it's pretty calm. Predictable, even" Prince Link, looked past her and sounded as if he were thinking out loud. "I usually do the same things in a strict pattern, which ends up feeling like I'm not doing much at all. Not sure why there's such a sudden change of pace." The prince was silent for a moment and then shook his head slightly, bringing his focus back to the young girl next to him. "Sorry, my Lady, my thoughts got away with me."

Zelda laughed lightly. "Does that happen often, Your Highness?"

"It depends on the day." The prince gave her a smile before bring the conversation back. "Speaking of plans, how is the search for the hero?"

"Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to look myself. Ganondorf," she stopped herself before she could say anything bad about the prince's own adviser. However, Zelda raised an eyebrow when Prince Link nodded. He surprised her even more when he finished her statement.

"Yes, he can be a bit of a thorn in your side."

Zelda couldn't contain it. She started to laugh at the prince's honesty. He looked at her in shock for just a moment, then began to laugh with her. This only made her fill with more happiness.

"I probably shouldn't have said that," he said after about a minute of laughter.

Zelda was quick to defend his action. "Quite honestly, Your Highness, I feel like in this case you're the only one brave enough to say what more than a few people are thinking."

He smiled once again. "Still doesn't mean some things should be said with so many others around." He gestured to the other people in the room, but they all seemed engrossed in their own conversations to hear what truths the prince spilled out. "You are very easy to speak too, though; it just came out without a second thought."

A blush spread across Zelda's cheeks at this, causing her to look away from the prince to her plate. It was full of a large amount of food that she still wasn't accustomed to seeing all on one setting. Though it was always delicious, she could never finish any of the meals given to her at these formal events. This morning was going to be no exception.

"Seeing as the thorn has been removed for now," Prince Link continued on. "There shouldn't be anyone holding either of us to a strict schedule, and I'm excited to meet the legendary hero as well. What would you say about meeting some of the knights in training this afternoon?"

"I would say that's an excellent idea, Your Highness." Zelda looked back at him again, giddiness showing in her voice.

The pair stuck together after breakfast, almost immediately making their way over to the training yards. They were much like the ones Zelda was used to in Kakariko, expect for this spanned a much larger area. Various rings were drawn onto the ground, creating numerous spaces where two men could practice sparing against one another. Weapons lay strewn about and knights were hurrying back and forth between different areas to practice different skills. The sound of metal hitting metal comforted Zelda in the strangest way, reminding her all too much of her time spent practicing with partners or even on her own. Higher ranked knights observed and corrected where they saw fit. It was an amazing sight to behold; much like organized chaos.

Prince Link and Zelda stood there for a moment, generally observing the motion until something caught her eye. Far in the corner, a spar was occurring that was quite obviously one sided. The two men looked fairly young, probably around the same age. However they had extremely different builds. The one that was winning was very tall with bulging muscles, while the other being beaten was much smaller and looked extremely uncomfortable. Zelda made her way over to the pair and after a quick reassurance by Prince Link, stepped in to assist the poor boy.

"I believe your spar has been won for now," she said in a cool voice. The boys immediately stopped and looked over at her. The smaller one had thanks written in his bright forest green eyes, a color that immediately reminded Zelda of the green from her vision. He took the time to straighten up and brush dirt off his uniform, while the larger one stood still, eyes narrowed at her.

"Can I see your weapon?" She asked to the smaller boy, and he quickly handed it over. It was a very standard sword, the edges dull so they did not severely injure anyone during practice, but could still hurt with enough force. She balanced it in her hand for just a moment before realizing the problem. "If I may suggest, try practicing with a lighter sword. This one is much too heavy for someone of your stature."

"And who are you to correct a knight?" the larger boy spoke up now. He was tense, swinging his own practice sword in such a way that it seemed like he was trying to threaten Zelda. She held her ground, unfazed. "These are the swords all knights of the Hyrulian Army use. Heavy weapons can cause greater injuries to our enemies."

"Correct, but having a variety of fighting styles can be beneficial. If you all fight the same, enemies could observe that and find a new way to combat you. In this case, using a lighter weapon might not give you as much strength, but it grants you speed that you could use to your advantage," Zelda instructed, picking up a smaller sword and flourishing it to demonstrate her point.

The eyes of the knight in training continued to glare at her as she spoke. "I will not be chastised by some random woman."

"You will treat her with respect. This is Zelda, next leader of the Sheikah tribe. You will take her advice graciously," the prince spoke firmly, daring the boy to speak out again. He took that dare.

"The Sheikah are just a bunch of rogues who don't respect the authority of knighthood. I don't understand why such acts are tolerated, Your Highness."

Prince Link took a step forward, frustration emanating from him, but he was stopped when Zelda gave him a small smile. She opened her arms slightly, in a mockingly inviting way before saying, "If you're so confident in my lack of skill, by all means test it yourself."

The furious boy didn't hesitate. He came straight for her, sword held up like he was expecting her to raise her sword in defense. But she didn't. Using the element of speed she had just talked about, she moved to the side and stood there as he staggered. He came charging at her again. She raised her own sword and they clashed, sending a metallic cling ringing through the air around them. From this point, she was easily able to push him back. Zelda moved her sword quickly, causing him to go fully into a defensive stance when he couldn't keep up with her. After a few slashes, she was able to get her sword around his so that it's dull edge now rested against his neck. The boy blinked, surprised at the fight's quick end, before his face grew red with frustration yet again.

"I would be impressed, if I weren't still in training," he muttered. She dropped the sword.

"Such a back handed compliment to someone who is just trying to help you," Zelda shook her head. "I'll take on a challenge from a more seasoned knight, if you need more reassurance of my qualifications."

"What about a challenge from me?" Prince Link stood up once again, sword in hand, a playful smile on his lips. "I have been practicing for practically my whole life, so I like to consider myself seasoned."

"Your Highness," Zelda bowed once again, matching his mischievous tone, before raising her sword at the ready. "It would be an honor."

Quickly after they begun their spar, all of the other activity in the training grounds stopped. All eyes were on the prince and Sheikah girl as their swords came together. It was a strange sight to behold. Both still in formal wear and of two totally different backgrounds, but they seemed so evenly matched. Their feet danced along the ground as they went back and forth, reading each other's movements so well it was like they had practiced the act before. Zelda stepped to the side and prepared to attack, but Link quickly reacted. Link tried using force to knock her off balance, but Zelda pushed back even harder. The two went on and on until eventually Link managed to find an advantage. He was able to twist his sword around hers, pinning it to the ground and keeping it there by putting a lot of weight on his own sword. The girl tried to pull it straight up, but when she was unsuccessful, she took a large step back. However, she was still wearing a dress. She stepped on the back of it, causing her to fall all the way onto her back giving Link a second to point the sword at her chest. Zelda's eyes widened for a second, before raising her hands in a good natured surrender.

"So sorry, Lady Zelda," he said through a smile and heavy breathing. He extended his free arm to her, which she took to help her get back up. "I didn't mean for it to end with you falling."

She gave a small laugh. "Such things happen. Congratulations on your win, Your Highness."

"Thank you, My Lady." He chuckled before rolling his shoulder a few times. "I have to admit, that was probably the most intense work out I've had in quite a while. I could learn a few things from you myself."

Zelda smiled once again as her heart still hammered in her chest from the small battle. She looked around at all the people who were starting to get back to their own activities now that their actions had finished. Looking back and forth between the prince and knights that surrounded them, she found a new hope that Hyrule would be able to overcome the dark times ahead.

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Authors Note: And I already broke my update once a week goal, but I'm giving myself a break since it was the holidays. For real this time, expect a once a week update.

Also something of note that I didn't mention before- I rated this story teen and up for fighting and some sexual themes. There won't be anything extremely gory and gross, but there may be depictions of some injuries and whatnot. Just wanted to give the warning now!

As always, reviews, constructive criticism, and personal messages are always welcome. Thank you so much for reading!


	5. High Strung Horse

**Author's Note: Sorry this is so late! I can make an excuse that all the Breath of the Wild news has almost put me in a coma from hyperventilating multiple times but that just sounds bad. So instead I'm going to be honest and say that I was having a mega writers block and ended up writing this entire chapter from start to finish three times until I finally came up with this, which I'm now happy with. As you've seen, I write in third person limited perspective, but in this chapter I switch from Zelda's point of view to Link's. From this point on I'm going to switch from chapter to chapter as I see fit to make sure you guys get the most and best elements of this story possible!**

 **Side note- I tried including some things from Breath of the Wild, but since the storyline of the game has been so well hidden, I really could only work a few references to the new game into my story outline I have written up. You'll see what I mean later.**

 **Anyway, please read on and enjoy. As always comments, good or bad, are encouraged. Thanks everyone!**

* * *

Link wasn't sure what they were looking for, truly. But he trusted Zelda to know. However, by the end of the day, she had come up with no hints that lead them closer to the hero either. While the true goal of the day was left unfulfilled, the time they spent in the training yards let the young prince to really get to know the young Sheikah girl. He wasn't surprised in Impa's choice of successor once he saw what she could do. She was kind and helpful toward all the knights as she assisted them in training. She was extremely skilled in combat using a variety of weapons, though she showed constant humility. Wisdom was carefully laced into each shred of advice she chose to give others. And on top of all that, she was passionate and refused to back down to a challenge. In some ways, he believed that she could easily guide the entire kingdom to success.

The next morning, Link awoke excited for the day. Ganondorf would still be gone, meaning the prince and Sheikah were left to their own plans to locate the hero once again. Unfortunately, his excitement dimmed when he couldn't find the young girl anywhere inside the castle. He searched the main areas people tended to congregate in, but was left with nothing. Eventually he was stopped in the middle of a hall by a distant relative of his that was a part of the noble court. How they were related, he couldn't say. He never had much interest in paying attention to royal history lessons as a child, but despite their relation, he was always instructed to call her "Aunt" Galla.

"My dear boy! You're looking awfully stressed this morning. Is everything going alright?" she asked, her voice flamboyantly switching tones. She her features were tight, making her face very long and angular. Almost to emphasize the sharpness of her, her graying brown hair was pulled into a tight bun. She was practically dripping in glittering jewels and rich colored fabric, as most of the nobles always were, in a show of her wealth and status.

"Yes, Aunt Galla. I was just searching for the Sheikah. Have you seen them?" he inquired. He never liked Galla much. She always seemed out of touch with the world. Her conversations always focused around gossip and, as of lately, lovely maidens she has met that she believes would make a suitable bride for him.

"Darling, I'm afraid not," she began. There was a glint in her eye that Link had come to recognize. It came about whenever she had a strong opinion to share. He held his sigh back as she continued. "What do you think of those women anyway? They seem to be quite the strange bunch. And the young one- with her, what have people been calling it? Psychic ability? It all seems strange if you ask me."

"I think they are both very capable leaders, Aunt Galla. They're trying their best to help Hyrule and it's time of need," he explained in a flat tone, knowing already that there was little he could say to keep her from continuing to talk. The older woman pulled out a delicate fan from the pocket of her dress and began to wave it below her face as her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I believe that is the problem, though. The kingdom has been doing magnificently with you and Ganondorf in charge! I see no signs of danger anywhere. Are you sure that young girl isn't a tad bit… well, for lack of a more proper term, fanciful? She could have easily made the whole thing up."

"No, I'm certain she didn't."

"How are you so certain of that, darling? You know nothing about her." For probably the first time ever, Aunt Galla had a point. He's only known of Zelda for a few days and he has no way of knowing completely what the truth was. She easily could have made this story up, to cause a rise in Hyrule for no reason. Though he wasn't sure what she would gain from the act, it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.

And yet, he knew that wasn't true in the slightest. Link was willing to bet his life on the fact that Zelda would never lie to him. He thought about it, about the first time he saw her when she entered the throne room that night. Confidence radiated from her, commanding the room in a way he's never seen a person do before. But despite the strength coming from her, he saw something else in her deep blue eyes. Something he had a feeling no one else could see. Fear. A pure, unrivaled fear of what she was describing. It was something that no one could easily fake. Once he could see the terror hiding behind her poise, he knew something was wrong. She was right. And he had to help her.

Link's posture stiffened as he came to the conclusion. He was going to help Zelda. Help Hyrule. There was nothing that could convince him otherwise.

"I fully believe in Lady Zelda. I suggest you and everyone else who doubts her cast that aside. We might be facing some troubling times and you should be properly prepared," his voice was unwavering, commanding. It threw Galla off, based on her shocked expression.

"Your Highness, I-" but her words were cut off as she spoke again.

"I don't want to hear anything else on the matter. I'm going to search for Lady Zelda and Lady Impa once again so we continue preparing for what lies ahead. Good day, Galla."

Prince Link left in a hurry, leaving the older woman behind, shock still clearly written on her face. He internally winced at his own actions. He was taught at a young age by his father how to demand unquestioned respect from others, how to command loyalty. It was a skill all kings needed to have to efficiently rule so many. Yet, he never liked being like that. It was scary. He much rather listen to the concerns of others and work out a compromise of some sort. Being harsh like that just wasn't in his true nature. Yet in situations like this, where he was so sure of what he was doing, he knew he had to use that authority in order to get what he needed to do done.

After a few more traversed halls, Link finally ran into a familiar face- one he was somewhat looking for.

"Lady Impa," he called out. She was facing away from him, but turned as soon as she heard his voice. She nodded her head in his direction respectfully, a stern look in her brown-red eyes.

"Your Highness," she greeted. Her voice was as serious as her look. Impa was a very tall woman, a little bit taller than Link. She was older, but her physique did not show it; she looked like she could break any enemy she faced in half. With her intimidating look facing toward him, he almost felt awkward when his question came to mind, but he pushed it aside.

"Have you seen Lady Zelda this morning? I need to have a word with her."

Impa raised an eyebrow at the question, but didn't hesitate in giving her answer. "Yes, Your Highness. That horse of her has been giving your stable hands trouble, so she's been caring for him all morning. As far as I'm aware, she's still with him."

Link thanked Impa before hurrying away, determination to see Zelda guiding him straight to the stables. The stables were a comforting place to him. As soon as he walked in, the smell of hay and horses relaxed the muscles in his shoulders he didn't realize were so tense. Stable hands were busy going up and down the many stalls, horses were being led to and fro. He walked down the main line of stalls and heard a familiar whinny. Link's horse, Epona, immediately recognized the sound of his footsteps and stuck her head out of her stall door to greet him. He approached her and began to stroke the neck of the red mare, which earned him a nicker of approval. Below the flurry of sounds he typically heard in the stables was something the prince wasn't so used to. It was singing. A light, beautiful sound performing a tune he recognized, coming from just a few stalls down. He approached it to find Zelda.

She was facing away from the door and didn't notice his appearance. She stood in the stall, gently combing her horse's mane as she sung. The horse, which Link assumed to be high tempered based on Impa's description, seemed completely relaxed, maybe even half asleep. His head hung low, eyes half open, with one ear perked back toward Zelda as he listened to her. Zelda wasn't wearing a dress, for the first time since he met her. She was in a much simpler outfit, consisting of navy blue pants and shirt with tall brown boots that laced up to her knees. Her hands and forearms were wrapped in white fabric. The blue of her uniform was patterned with the crying eye that represented the Sheikah society. Her bright blonde hair was pulled back into a loose braid which extended all the way down her back. Link assumed this is what she probably wore more often when she was at home. For some reason, even though he's only witnessed her wear dresses since their first meeting, seeing her wear this seemed oddly familiar. Zelda had stopped singing now and Link spoke up.

"I know that song, it's a lullaby, right?" The girl jumped, startled from the sudden voice breaking her away from her silent moment. Link felt bad for a second as she whirled around, her cheeks pink and eyes wide. Her palomino horse immediately perked up at the burst of activity, raising his head to he reached a much taller height. She bowed deeply and began to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness. I didn't notice you were behind me," she stammered, lifting her head back up to look at him.

"No need to be sorry, I sort of snuck up on you after all." Prince Link laughed lightly and she sighed heavily as she placed a hand on her horse's neck to calm him once again.

"Yes, that was a lullaby though. I remember my mother singing it to me when I was very young," Zelda said, her eyes meeting his directly as she spoke.

"My mother sang me that song too. It's strange that you know it though, I thought it was something my mother made up," Link said thoughtfully before shrugging. "I suppose it could be some old folk song."

"I suppose," Zelda mused. Her eyes darted from him, to her horse, to her clothes, and back up to him. "I apologize for not being in more decent attire, Your Highness. Deit needed grooming."

He gave her a good natured smile. "Lady Impa said something about that earlier. He seems very well behaved, however." Zelda laughed, bitterly.

"He's only like this because I'm here right now. He has quite the temper, normally." She patted his neck before walking away from his side and toward the stall door, so she was only steps away from Link.

"Out of curiosity, what makes him so attached to you?"

"I saved him from monsters. Six years ago, when I was fourteen, I was being trained on how to conduct patrols of the fields. We were near Ordon Village when we noticed some monster activity. I ended up wandering off from the main group and found two Bokoblins antagonizing him. After killing one and chasing the other off, I began to tend to his injuries and trying to find his owner," Zelda recalled, thoughtfully, occasionally looking back at the horse with a protective eye.

"What made you think he had an owner?" Link asked. He was leaning against the wood of the stall door now, fully engaged in her words. She smiled.

"He's a gelding. I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a wild gelding," she shrugged and brushed a small stray hair behind her ear. "Anyway, once he was healed up, we went around in search of his owner. He's a very unique color, so you would've thought someone would have recognized him in an instant, but no one ever did. I can only assume that he belonged to a travelling merchant and got lose. With his high energy, I wouldn't doubt it, either." She sighed and shook her head. "After an unsuccessful search, we decided to take him back to Kakariko, and eventually we also realized that he only positively responded to me, so he became mine."

"Interesting. You guys must have quite the connection then," Link said after the completion of her story. He smiled as a sudden idea popped into his head and she raised an eyebrow. "Can I assume you're a skilled rider then? How about we test that with a short trip through the fields?"

"Are you challenging me again, Your Highness?" She laughed. It was a clear, bright sound and it filled the prince with joy as he heard it. "Are you sure that's the best idea? We still must continue our search for the hero."

Prince Link shrugged. Zelda had a good point and he could tell by her tone that she was hesitating to latch on to the idea. But for some reason, he just felt it was the right thing to do. For the two of them to be away from the watchful eyes of everyone else who roamed within the castle walls. There they could have time to clear their heads and he had a feeling that they would both be more comfortable talking there anyway- her because she was used to the more simple lifestyle and him because he hated his complicated one.

"It won't be for too long. Besides, Epona needs the exercise and I'm sure Deit needs some as well. Maybe he'll start behaving for the stable hands again. At least for a day," he smiled reassuringly as he spoke. When he stopped, he could almost see all the calculations occurring in her head through her eyes. Determining the pros and cons of both options presented to her, before eventually smiling back at him.

"Alright, Your Highness. Tack up your horse, but don't expect the two of us to slow down for you."


	6. Simple Escape

Much to the Sheikah and the prince's surprise, the two noble steeds were able to evenly keep pace with each other. Zelda even pushed Deit a little harder than she normally would, but Epona was able to keep stride the whole time. The girl eventually figured out what helped Epona compete with Deit was the mare's amazing jumping ability. Link and Epona were able to make up time jumping over the other obstacles that Zelda had to guide Deit around, since she knew they were to large for him to clear without injury. The pair and their horses were in the middle of Hyrule Field now. They had made quick work of exiting the castle and city limits, going faster than someone could have possibly called out for them. Bright green plains whizzed by them as hooves tore through the soft dirt. They laughed and taunted each other to go even farther. Zelda's hair had been so ruffled by the wind they created that it was now falling out of her braid. They ran and ran, both feeling more free than ever. They would have tried to keep going had they not reached a steep incline at the base of a densely forested mountain. Zelda patted the neck of her gelding, which was now damp with sweat from his work out. After surveying the area, she dismounted and led Deit to a small pool of water so he could cool off, Link and Epona following behind.

"Alright, I'll admit it. Your equestrian skills are also amazing," Link laughed once the horses were settled. He had now found his own resting area, a soft grass patch that was almost completely shaded by the trees, but some sun shone though so the light danced on the angles of his face. The prince quickly sat and laid completely down, both hands tucked beneath his head in a lazy position. It was strange, Zelda thought, to see a person of nobility be so casual. She had never expected this when she arrived at Castle Town, let alone see the crowned prince himself being so informal. It was comforting though, seeing him like this. So much so that she sat beside him, legs outstretched and crossed, propping herself up by her elbows behind her as she looked up towards the specks of blue sky she could spot between the trees.

"So, Your Highness, where did you find such a fantastic horse?" Zelda asked, glancing over at the prince, who now had his eyes closed as he lounged.

"Hm... I guess it can really be chalked up to good timing. Like with you and your horse." Link opened his eyes and sat up, folding his legs in as he began to recall the story. "When I was 12, my father brought me into the stables and said I could have any horse as my own- a companion I could care for and ride whenever I wished. Well I was expecting this and actually had a horse in mind. I went to the stables a lot in between my lessons so of course I had my favorites already, but that didn't stop me from wandering up and down the stalls. I ended up in the birthing stalls somehow, they're put away from the main hub so it's quiet for the mothers and foals during the first week or so. Anyway, Epona was born maybe a few days before my birthday, and she was just so small and clumsy. When I first looked through the bars of the stall, she lifted her head to look back at me and almost immediately fell." Link chuckled at the memory, before sighing and looking back toward his mare. "I loved that little goofball from that moment on. I picked her, and though everyone questioned my choice, it turned out for the better. She's the best horse and friend I could have asked for. Plus I got the opportunity to train her myself, so I got to teach her some special tricks."

"Tricks? You don't normally train horses like you do dogs..." Zelda mused out loud. Prince Link smiled, a mischievous glint shown in his eyes as he raised two fingers to his mouth. He whistled a simple three note tune and Epona immediately responded. Her head rose up from the pond and her ears turned in their direction. She stood absolutely still, still listening, as if waiting for more instruction. It came in the form of another whistle from Link, this one long and low. The mare relaxed and went back to eagerly drinking the water beneath her.

"Whistles carry better than yelling. Epona can hear me from a whole field away. Those three notes get her attention, but if I did the whole song she'd come running from wherever she is," the prince said, grass crunching beneath him as he returned to his lounging position on the ground.

"That is... quite impressive," Zelda sighed. "What song is that?"

"Just one I made up really," Prince Link shrugged. "Though you're quite impressive yourself. An amazing fighter, leader, rider, and if Impa was correct, you can do magic as well?" Zelda nodded. "Mind if I see something? It can be just a simple trick."

"Of course, Your Highness." Zelda said. She thought for a second and then pulled out a set of three small crystals from a pouch on her uniform. She selected one that glowed a bright orange, dropped the other two on her lap, and focused solely on the one now resting in her palm. Within moments, a small fire ball breathed to life in her hand. Link gasped, watching intently as the fire grew a little more in Zelda's hand, though it did not burn her. "This spell is named after one of the goddesses, it's called Din's Fire. It's an offensive spell. When used in its full effect it surrounds the user with a burst of flames."

"That's amazing. So do you need that crystal to make the spell work?" The prince began to move his hand closer to the small flame, but quickly retracted it when he felt the searing heat coming from it.

"For this particular spell, yes. There are other fire spells out there, but this is probably the most powerful. I'm not exactly sure of the crystals' origin. I got them from Great Fairies I've befriended during patrols."

"You've met some of the Great Fairies? People around the castle said that they've all went away." Zelda laughed at the prince's statement.

"Well, they're a little stingy. For some reason they insist that people have taken advantage of their magic in the past, so for most people they require a rather large offering before they'll show themselves. Whenever I went to their fountains, I really just wanted to talk; I didn't need help or anything. Some of them said they appreciated my company so much they gave me things like this." Zelda extinguished the ball in their hand and picked up the other crystals. "Farore's Wind has the power to teleport someone short distances. Nayru's Love can create a shield that will protect the user and anyone else inside the shield for a short amount of time, though this one is probably the trickiest as it takes a lot of concentration to maintain."

"I would love to meet the Great Fairies one day. Maybe then can bestow some heavenly powers on me too?" Prince Link's mischievous smile returned. "Where would be the nearest fountain from here?"

"It would depend on where 'here' is, Your Highness. I'm not too familiar with this part of Hyrule Field. You're not planning on meeting one right now, are you?" the Sheikah asked, the reality of why she was in the center of Hyrule Kingdom creeping back to her. She shivered as she remembered the hoards of demons storming Castle Town. The prince didn't see her sudden tenseness, as he had already stood and began to walk toward the incline of the mountain they were near. "Your Highness... With all due respect, shouldn't we begin to head back?"

Prince Link paused momentarily, before looking back at Zelda with a playful, yet innocent smile. "We will, right after we figure out where we are. I don't get out much nowadays, and it would be nice to at least know where the nearest Great Fairy is, just in case," he winked and continued his trek up the hill.

Zelda stood, but hesitated. She looked sideways toward the horses, who were still perfectly relaxed by the side of the pond. In front of her, Prince Link was already part way up the rocky hillside, now grabbing rocks with his hands to keep himself from sliding down as he continued up. The girl sighed heavily and followed- surely a few more moments of peace wouldn't hurt. Zelda made quick work of catching up with the prince; her Sheikah outfit was a bit more forgiving of all the movement than his fancied wear, allowing her to move a bit faster. She was somewhat concerned that he would not be able to scale the mountain as she watched him carefully the whole way up, but he climbed gracefully, as if he's done it many times before. Because of her concern, she followed slightly behind him, just in case, which caused him to pull himself over the plateau of the hill first. By the time she made it over herself, Link was standing. But his posture was odd, she notice the change in him immediately. It was tense. The prince did not move a muscle other than the deep rise and fall of his chest as he caught his breath and the slow scanning from his eyes. It was unnerving.

"Your Highness..."

"Zelda. Do you feel that?"

"Your Highness, I'm not sure what you mean..."

"Hm... Maybe I'm just imagining it..." Prince Link shivered slightly before shaking his head. "No I'm definitely not. Where is it coming from?"

"Where is what coming from?"

"Lady Zelda. When you had your vision, what did it feel like?"

Zelda was taken aback by the question. A stunned silence fell for a few moments before she gave a hesitant answer. "I was... cold. I felt dread wash over me like a wave. I just knew something was..." she paused again, eyes widening at the realization of the meaning behind his earlier words. "Wrong."

"There. What is that?" Prince Link's arm rose to point at a spot in the distance. It was easier to see their surroundings from this altitude, but even so, what he was gesturing to was hard to make out as it was still so far away. Yet she knew exactly what it was. At the base of a mountain range that stood in front of Gerudo Desert was a sea of dark figures. It was exactly like the army of monsters Zelda has seen in her vision.

"Prince Link." She surveyed the scene more. She noticed campfires. The army wasn't moving yet, but they were planning to.

"We need to go," she said, but he did not move an inch. She couldn't look away as well. Her eyes strained as she tried to pick up anything distinctive, but they were too far away for her to tell. Even if she had, she was too late. The enemy was at Hyrule Castle's doorstep and there was nothing she could do.

And yet…

It wasn't too late. Her mind began to reel as she thought. She knew this was coming; she was right. They still had time to evacuate the city. Sure they did not find the hero, but they could devise a plan to defeat the King of Evil while everyone was somewhere else, somewhere that would be safe from his wrath. She could still save the lives of so many, as long as she acted now.

"We need to go, now!" Zelda shouted, grabbing Link's arm to pull him from his trance toward the edge of the hill. He bounced back to life at that moment. The pair skid down the hill and ran toward their horses. The horses seemed to key into their owners' urgency and flew across Hyrule Field like lighting in a stormy sky. They made it back to the castle faster than it took to get to their resting spot in the first place. When they reached the stables once again, their horses were handed off to be taken care of by a few confused stable hands while they immediately went to work on their preparations.

"Lady Zelda, you said the monster hoard ransacked the whole city correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness. You're going to have to call for an immediate evacuation of all citizens for their safety."

"You don't happen to know where they'll be planning on doing next, do you?" Prince Link's voice was calm and urgent, yet there was a nervous edge to it. To Zelda, that was the only show of uncertainty she could see from him. He stood tall in the middle of the stables, refusing to waver at the threat before them. He looked ready for whatever challenge that may come their way.

Zelda shook her head. "For now, they'll only care about the Castle. I don't think they're expecting everyone to evacuate so they might have to rework their plans anyway, which will buy us some more time."

"Alright. I'll make sure everyone just heads Eastward then, away from the hoards. I'll send messages out to all the surrounding towns and cities to prepare accordingly." The Prince began to walk away, looking back at Zelda with a small hopeful smile before reentering the castle itself. "Prepare what you need and meet me in the main study. I'm going to call a meeting with the Captain and Commanders and I want you to be there with me to make sure everything is taken care of."

"Of course, Your Highness."

Once the unusual pair had begun to head in opposite directions, Zelda could feel the heat of the Triforce resonate from her left hand once again. She covered it as she began to search through the various halls of Hyrule Castle as she looked for her guardian. Zelda could hear every echoing footstep she made on the tiles of the floors, her anxious heart beat as it hammered in her chest, and her own thoughts, which were trying to say fifty different things simultaneously. Yet, she walked calmly through the halls, albeit a little more hurriedly than the average person. She sighed with relief when she found Impa talking to a young knight. After requesting to speak with Impa in private, the two Sheikah women made their way over to their given rooms during their stay in the Castle. Impa could immediately tell something was wrong, based on the excited energy surrounding her protégée that replaced her usually composed demeanor. Once they were in the privacy of Impa's room, Zelda's emotions exploded out of her.

"We saw them. We saw the King of Evil's army. It was huge, even larger than I was initially expecting. Impa, what are we going to do? They're going to take the Castle. We can't stop them how we are now," Zelda stammered, words pouring from her before she had a chance to stop them.

"Zelda. Calm down this instant," Impa commanded with a booming voice. If anyone were out in the hall by the room, they probably would have heard it as clearly as Zelda had. The young girl stopped talking and stared wide eyed at her mentor. "You're not thinking. You were blessed with Wisdom, so use it properly."

Impa's words stung slightly, but they did the trick. Zelda took a few breaths in and out to clear her mind. Impa crossed her arms over her chest and waited before continuing.

"Explain to me what happened. Clearly."

"The Prince and I went on a ride, to investigate something that could help us locate the hero," Zelda said, adding the last part when she realized Impa wouldn't have approved of any dallying. "We ended up on a hill, and with that vantage point we were able to see the army of monsters and demons. The one I saw in my vision. They were a lot closer than I would have hoped."

"And what were they doing?"

"I... I don't know, they were too far..." Zelda closed her eyes, trying to pull small details from the memory. "Actually, there were fires. They must be camping out there for the time being. Probably not for long though. They'd move by night, if I had to guess. It would be easier to remain undetected for as long as possible. Meaning they'd be in a position to attack in about two day's time..."

"Good. What about the Evil King?"

"I'm not sure about him. I couldn't see him or where he might be," Zelda absentmindedly stroking the back of her hand as she spoke. "I know for a fact he's out there though. He was leading the hoard in my vision. I don't have reason to believe that's changed."

"The Triforce is resonating again, isn't it?" Impa said, nodding toward Zelda's hands that she was still rubbing together. Zelda only nodded in response. "Didn't we read that the holders of the Triforce are always connected? If you have been trying to find the hero through that connection, then could you possibly look into what the Evil King is doing?"

Zelda thought about this suggestion for a moment. It was a great one, and honestly not one she had ever thought of before. If she could connect to the mind of the person who holds the Triforce of Power, even for just a moment, she could learn a lot that would help the entire Kingdom. But at the same time, she had been seeking out the holder of Courage and that obviously wielded less than satisfactory results. Who knows what opening her mind up to the King's would do as well. If he found out about that ability, he could easily use the same connection to peer into her mind as well. Zelda ended up shaking her head at the idea.

"I don't think the connection works like that. If that was the case, finding the hero would be much easier than it is." Zelda glanced out the window, thoughts racing. There was just so much to do in so little time. "Impa... Even if we evacuate the city, he's going to take the Castle without the Hero of Courage to hold him back with me."

"And?"

"Well, wouldn't that give him a great advantage already? The army will be split among the towns; we're going to have to travel from place to place to find the Hero even though we have no idea who we're really looking for. It just... does not seem like this is in our favor," Zelda sighed, her eyes drifting down to the floor. Loose strands of blonde hair fell in front of her face. It made her think about her ride with Prince Link, part of her wishing they had used their time a bit more wisely, while the other part of her wishing she appreciated the innocent time more, for who knows when she would get a chance like that again.

"So what if he takes the Castle? He would have won a single battle, not the war. It is a better decision to retreat for now until we are prepared. Do not fret. You and the Prince are making the right choice. The Hero will appear soon enough." Impa placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder, causing her to look up. "You cannot leave the Prince's side. As one of the Goddess Hylia's chosen warriors, it is your duty to protect the royal bloodline. Even when the Hero arises, you both must be sure that the Prince is safe above everything else. Do you understand?"

Zelda nodded, but realized there were a lot of implications behind those words. The Sheikah haven't personally attended the Royal Family for hundreds of years and she'd be the first to do it since then. It would be a great honor for any Sheikah. Impa's directions also seemed to relieve Zelda of whatever authority she had over her. From now on, Impa was no longer her leader; she listened to the Prince's orders and his alone. She was her own person- the future leader of the Sheikah, the Prince's protector, and the chosen holder of Wisdom. She could only hope she could live up to such a destiny.

"Now go. I'm sure the Prince is expecting you any minute. Make sure that by tomorrow morning you have everything you need prepared. If something happens, you need to be ready to leave with the Prince at a moment's notice."


	7. The Pieces Revealed

With the news Prince Link and Zelda had brought to the various officers of the Hylian army, there was a mix of different ideas thrown around. When the two young leaders stated that they wished to evacuate the city and Castle, more than half of the officers agreed, while the others wanted to stand their ground and fight for their capital. It was a brave idea which Link couldn't help but agree with, but Zelda was quick to fight against it, warning that there would be no way to truly hold back the Evil King without the holders of both the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom working together. A heavy discussion began in the study as maps were laid across tables and fingers pointed to different areas that should be noted for varying reasons.

Prince Link once again took notice of Zelda's seemingly natural born leadership skills as she took an active part of the discussion. Surrounding her were well seasoned knights and himself- a prince that from early childhood was taught formal war strategies. Anyone else might have been intimidated by the people surrounding them. Never once did she falter. Prince Link was almost about to step away from the table and just let her do all the delegating, as she was so expertly pointing at the maps and assigning tasks that needed to be achieved within the next day. Soon enough, a finalized plan of action was agreed upon. The Hylian army would be split into several fractions, each lead by an officer, which would escort citizens of the capital to other towns and villages to seek refuge. Impa, who was for the most part silently observing the discussion, did offer to lead a fraction to Kakariko Village and escort the royal court that resided in the castle. This idea offered the noble people extra protection with the help of the Sheikah warriors. All cities within Hyrule, regardless of whether or not they were about to receive an influx of refugees, would be sent message of the evil presence now in central Hyrule and how they should prepare accordingly. They had planned to regroup the army once the heros have been found and a more proper plan could be put into motion to take back the castle and its surrounding town.

With these ideas set, everyone quickly began to perform their assigned duties. The rest of that evening and even the next day was flurry of nonstop activity. Thankfully the citizens of Castle Town were very cooperative, but Prince Link hated seeing the hurt and worry in their eyes as they were informed on the current situation. He hated hearing kids cry when their mother's told them that danger would soon be coming. He hated watching families lock their doors with only a few of their belongings in their hands, not knowing if the rest of their things would be waiting there when they returned. He even hated watching his court leave the castle, though earlier he would have loved to see them leave considering how often he felt somewhat pestered by them. Being the kingdom's prince, he tried his best to reassure everyone he came in contact with or to bring some joyful smiles to his people's solemn faces. Seeing the trouble this was causing people only made him more determined to stop the approaching monsters.

When Link wandered the castle halls the morning after the day of the evacuation, he was shocked by how utterly silent it was. There were still some people around, but all of the life he had been accustomed to in Hyrule's capital was completely gone. Kids no longer played in the streets; shops were not open; nobles were not having tea in the gardens under the sun. For the first time in his life, everybody was gone.

Everybody besides him, Zelda, and a fraction of the Hylian army, anyway. As part of the plan, a group was to stay here to battle the monster hoard and keeping them occupied for a little more time as well as put a dent in their numbers before fully retreating. Zelda had tried to convince the prince to leave, but true to his nature, he was stubborn. He had insisted on meeting this adversary head on with his knights. It was a brave decision, but he could tell it did make Zelda feel uneasy, so he assured her that if she wanted to head home to protect her family and friends in Kakariko she was free to do so. She looked a little taken aback by the option he presented to her, but she was quick to shoot it down. She wished to make sure the fraction of the Hylian army that remained in the castle retreated safely.

So for now, they waiting for the incoming battle. Unfortunately there was not all much to do while they had waited. If Zelda was correct in her estimates from the battle planning, their enemies would not be in the position to attack until early tomorrow morning. While it was best that everyone leave the city as early as possible, it left those soldiers still in the castle in a pretty tense environment as they waited for their enemy to literally come tearing down the door. Link had spent a lot of that morning pacing the near empty halls. Over the years, he had memorized the clicking sounds of his feet he walked across the tile floors and the rough texture of the stone walls as he ran his hands on them. It was strange thinking that there was a possibility that the castle his family has lived in for hundreds of years might not be the same once he comes back, depending on what their enemy decides to do once they have the city.

Eventually he couldn't take pacing anymore, so he decided to look into something that had been on the back of his mind since the day of his ride with Zelda. The Great Fairy Fountains. Surely there had to be some old maps showing their locations. Maybe once this was all over, he could finally go visit them. In the back of the study was a chest filled with maps of Hyrule. When he entered the room, he saw the map from their planning still laid out on the table, markers strung throughout. Link remembered sitting at the same dark wood table as a child, sticking his own pins in the map as he was tested on the geography of the kingdom he would someday rule. It was one of his least favorite subjects. Even if it was, the knowledge did come in handy at times like this. He had pulled out an older map from the sturdy chest, the once white surface of the parchment was now yellow and brittle, the edges curled in all manners of directions. The map was more topographic than the one they were looking at a while ago. It had a lot more detail focused on the features of the land versus the various roads and cities in the kingdom.

Link had just opened the map completely when he heard the cracking sound of the wooden door that led to the study open. Zelda walked in, her deep blue eyes filling with curiosity when she saw him there by himself. She was dressed in Sheikah uniforms once again, but looked completely prepped for battle. A bow with a loaded quiver was hanging from her back, a rapier attached to one side of her hip, and a small satchel tied to the other side. He smiled at her, admiring how she looked so strong during such a dark time.

"Sorry, Your Highness, I didn't mean to disturb you," she said while not fully stepping into the study. "I can leave, if you're busy."

"No, I'm not busy at all. Feel free to come in." Link waved a hand, beckoning her into the room. She obliged, closing the door and taking steps toward the desk he was standing over. The prince was surprised how much different her footsteps sounded compared to his on the floor. His feet always made a light clicking sound, but she was almost silent, like she carried no weight at all and was merely floating over the floor. Part of him wondered if all Sheikah were as light footed as her.

"May I inquire about what you're looking at?" Zelda asked, leaning over the table to survey the old map. Prince Link smiled once again, the mischievous glint from the other day returning to his eyes.

"Just looking for those fairy fountains," he answered. She raised an eyebrow and suppressed a small smile, but Link could still see the twitch of her lips giving it away.

"Your Highness, are you sure this is the best way to prepare for your battle?" Her tone was light, despite the subject matter. Maybe she was becoming less worried about it after all. Prince Link shrugged in response.

"I just needed something to get my mind off of everything. Although, Father always did tell me I never knew how to grow up," Link sighed after giving his answer. Thinking of his late father gave Link somewhat of a bitter sweet feeling. He did love and respect him when he was alive, but they never truly saw eye to eye. The King of Hyrule was always very serious and tried to get his son to adopt the same attitude. As hard as Link tried, he could never manage to keep that facade up, especially when atmospheres got too tense. Since his father's passing, Prince Link had gotten better at controlling his fun loving nature, but he knew he would never have the same emotional control his father had.

With these memories in mind, Zelda's next statement caused him to feel a little bit shocked.

"I don't see anything wrong with how you are. You have a good balance in leading styles. You're tough when you need to be, but also very caring and empathetic. I believe you have so far been a great ruler, and will soon be a very great King."

Link's mouth fell open for a moment, before coming back to a gentle smile. He couldn't remember the last time he was genuinely complimented like that. Zelda's brows furrowed as she looked at him, confused at his weird shifts in expression. He looked her over quickly before shaking his head.

"Thank you for saying that. Anyway," he said, wanting to change the topic away from himself. "Were you hoping to find something in here?" The girl's eyes began to scan the room at the mention of her purpose, slow enough to take in the sights of the large study, but still quickly enough that you could tell she wasn't looking for anything in particular.

"I suppose I'm trying to pass time as well, Your Highness." She walked up to a shelf and ran her hand across some of the books, again not looking for anything in particular. "There's just so much to read here. I thought we had a large collection in Kakariko until I saw this. Impa and I have done so much research into the Triforce and its legends. I just thought, with how many books there are in this single room, there had to be more information we haven't found. Just more pieces to a very complicated puzzle, if that makes any sense."

Link watched Zelda as she walked slowly around the room, her eyes still scanning all the books. He looked around too. He's never given much thought into the study. He's been here so many times that to him it was just like any other room in the castle. Listening to the Sheikah speak about it, however, seemed to ignite a sudden respect for the old room. It was filled with hundreds of years of knowledge. There were so many shelves filled with books in a variety of colors and textures. He now noticed a layer of dust coating those books in the higher shelves, because no one bothered to move the ladder over to them in order to get them down. Prince Link had lived here his entire life and just barely scratched the surface of this room. He had a feeling Zelda could get halfway through it in a week if given the time. A part of him deep down hoped that someday soon he could give her that time.

"What makes you so interested in the legends? Have you been having dreams about the Triforce for a while?" he asked. It was an innocent question, but he noticed Zelda's reaction to it was strange. She immediately looked away from him and bit her lower lip. Her hands clasped together as her right hand began to fidget with the wraps around her left. She took a deep breath in, her eyes closing as she held it for just a moment, before letting it out again. Zelda's eyes met his once again, a new resolve showing in them.

"Prince Link, I need to tell you something. I've never told anybody besides-"

Zelda's words were cut off by the loud bang of the study door being suddenly pushed open. Link jumped back in surprise at first, but that feeling was quickly replaced with confusion when he saw Ganondorf's large frame enter the room. He looked strangely annoyed, which the prince knew wasn't out of character for his advisor. But there was something else wrong, he could tell. And he didn't like it.

"Your Highness. Where is everyone? Why is the entire capital empty?" the advisor's deep voice reverberated off the high walls, only adding to its intensity. Prince Link got a good look at his advisor now that he had fully entered the room. He was wearing chainmail, he noticed, like he was preparing for battle. But if he had just gotten back to the castle from his trip, there should have been no way that he could've known what they were preparing for. The prince gave a quick glance in Zelda's direction. She was tense, her arms down at her side, her eyes set in a piercing glare toward Ganondorf.

"Lady Zelda and I saw the Evil King's army headed for the capital. Her vision was correct, so we took action to save the citizens and court," Link had answered, his voice rising to challenge the power of his advisor's. Rage seemed to build in Ganondorf's eyes as his fists clenched at his sides. Zelda was making her way to Link's side, her hand on now on the hilt of her rapier. Ganondorf's focus switched from Link to Zelda. When he did, his eyes grew for just a second before he closed them. He sneered and his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath out in a show of frustration, but his strange smile remained as he began to eye Zelda down.

"So girl, did you end up telling our precious Prince why you know what you do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zelda's answer was quick and harsh, her voice like daggers in Ganondorf's direction.

"Don't try play dumb, girl. You've been given Wisdom for a reason," Ganondorf chuckled at his own joke.

Zelda's eyes flew back and forth between Link and his advisor. They once again became stuck on Ganondorf as she slowly removed the wrap from her left hand; it was the same wrap she had just been messing with. Link starred at her as she moved. She was very slow, very careful. She never once looked away from Ganondorf as she held her left hand up. Then, on the back of her hand, a golden glow erupted, showing three perfectly placed triangles. The triangle on the lower left shining even more brilliantly than the other two. Zelda glanced toward Link, her eyes softening.

"I was just about to tell you, Your Highness, before we were so rudely interrupted," the Sheikah's eyes snapped back to Ganondorf's direction. "Only Impa and I knew until now, but I am the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom."

Link's heart skipped when he heard it. He didn't even have time to react to the news before Ganondorf spoke again.

"And to think, I had so many opportunities to kill you in your sleep while you were here, yet for some reason I didn't realize you were the one I was looking for. Well at least, one of the two." Ganondorf raised his own left hand now, the same glowing triangles appearing on his hand, this time the topmost one the brightest. Link recognized that one. It was the Triforce of Power.

"You... This whole time, you were the King of Evil..." Shock consumed the prince. His whole life, he had been accompanied by his kingdom's worse enemy. His father confided in him for years before his passing. Who knew what terrible decisions that Ganondorf had coaxed his father and him into making this whole time? And yet, the kingdom has been thriving over the years, with no hint of sabotage at all. "But... that doesn't make any sense."

"Hm, yes I supposed how I got in this position in the first place is a bit strange. But let's skip the details and just say I was fully intending on manipulating you, Your Highness, little by little until eventually you were either my puppet or you would get mysteriously ill and name me the next leader of Hyrule. It would've been the easiest way to take over this cursed land and make it into exactly what I want, but this girl saw me coming."

A sword suddenly appeared in Ganondorf's hand, seemingly from thin air. The blade was huge, easily 5 feet long, with a darkened gray sheen to it and hilt black as night. Ganondorf's grip tightened on it as Zelda drew her rapier, which was so small in comparison. She stood directly in front of Prince Link now and he looked around the room. He was completely unarmed. Surely there was something in the study he could use, but all he could see were books upon books. He looked back at Zelda, whose free hand was now holding the blue crystal she had showed him yesterday. Nayru's Love. She had pulled it out so subtly that Link didn't even notice until now. In that moment he knew she wasn't going to fight, but rather try to defend.

"You see, girl, you've ruined everything. You were trying to save lives, but by coming here, you've doomed Hyrule to a war. But that's no matter to you," Ganondorf said, holding his sword out so it pointed toward the Sheikah and prince. "I would have found and destroyed you eventually, so you never would have seen me rise to power."

"You sure do a lot of talking," Zelda shot back. "Besides, I know what you want. You say you wanted to avoid war, but we all know that you would love to watch this kingdom burn to the ground."

"Technicalities," Ganondorf chuckled. He said no more, but instead launched himself straight at Zelda, who was quick to react. A shield of blue light completely surrounded both her and Link as she casted her spell. A metallic clank rang through the air as Ganondorf's sword hit it. The evil man grimaced as the recoil sent his arms back. He hit the protective barrier again. And again. Again. Over and over he slashed at it. Prince Link watched as blue sparks flew through the air with every hit. Zelda stood firm and unwavering the whole time. Her eyes were locked with Ganondorf as she was calculating her next move.

As the attacks continued, it became obvious to Prince Link that there was no way Ganondorf was going to give up any time soon. Worse yet, he noticed the clench of Zelda's jaw and beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she used the spell. He remembered what she had said earlier about this specific spell, it took a lot out of the user to use. She wasn't going to be able to keep this up forever. The prince looked around again, turning around completely in order to find something, anything. He found it in the form of a blue shield with the royal family crest hanging on the wall. Adopting Zelda's strategy of defending, he grabbed it from the wall and fastened it to his right arm.

Ganondorf raised his sword up high and brought it down with both hands. There was a shattering noise as the barrier between them disappeared. Zelda fell to her back, wincing as she began to sit up as fast as possible. Unfortunately it wasn't fast enough as Ganondorf was already preparing the next swing of his sword. It was going to be a deadly blow to the now defenseless girl. Time seemed to slow down as Link watched. Ganondorf's dark blade sliced through the air, heading straight for Zelda's abdomen. Prince Link didn't think. He couldn't. He jumped in front of Zelda, holding the shield up to deflect the blow. As the metal objects clashed together, the room erupted in a golden glow. Ganondorf drew back at the light, dropping his defenses slightly. The prince felt a surge of energy go through him as he threw his weight into the shield towards his advisor's sword hand, causing him to drop the massive weapon to the ground. The Evil King cried out in frustration as he shielded his eyes from the bright light, trying to see exactly where the source of it was.

Link felt a pull on his free hand. Zelda was standing once again, her arm extended upward as she muttered a few words. The prince felt a huge gust of wind to his back as the room vanished around them. Beneath the sound of air rushing past his ears, he heard the voice of his advisor, the Evil King, his Kingdom's enemy.

"The three pieces of the Triforce have finally come together..."

* * *

A/N: Wow was anybody super surprised by who the hero and evil king was? No? Just me? Anyway, we finally have all of our heros and villain formally established so this ball can finally get rolling! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you've enjoyed this whole intro segment. Things should get more exciting from this point on. For the record, I've changed the direction of this story quite a bit since the first chapter was released, and I can honestly say all of these changes were for the better. I absolutely love drafting and writing this fic and I hope you have as much fun reading it as I do creating it.

Tangents aside, please continue following, favoriting, reviewing, and PM's if you feel so inclined, cause it makes me smile 3 Until next update!


	8. The White Sorceress

The air wrapped around the pair of newfound heroes, enveloping them both in a chill as it dug at their clothes and tore through their skin. It felt like it was pulling at every angle. Zelda held onto Link's arm as tight as she possibly could, not wanting to get ripped away from him. She had never tried Farore's Wind with two people, only by herself. She wasn't sure if it was going to work, but at the moment there were little options before them. Eventually, they were released from the spell's hold and their feet met solid ground once again. Zelda quickly began to take in their surrounds. She was met with that eerie feeling of familiarity from deep within her, yet she knows she's never been in this part of the castle before. It appeared to be a small courtyard, surrounded on three sides by walls of the castle. On the other side was an arch way that seemed to lead out to even more courtyards. This is not where she was hoping to land, but it was something.

"Prince Link," Zelda looked toward his direction. He looked dazed. The shield he had grabbed was still strapped to his right arm, somehow looking brand new, like it never got hit with a giant sword in the first place. His left hand was still glowing brightly. "Your Highness, where are we?"

"The garden right outside the throne room," he said, pointing towards a window. It was large, going from the floor about three quarters of the way up the high walls. Surely enough you could see the thrones inside with the same Goddess statues that had starred Zelda down not that long ago. "Zelda, what just happened?"

There was nothing but confusion in his voice. His light brown eyebrows were furrowed and his sky blue eyes looked at her with such a trusting innocence that he almost looked like a kid. She looked away from his eyes to his left hand once more. How could she not have realized? He was right in front of her the whole time. This battle could have ended today.

"Your Highness, you are..." Zelda paused. How does anyone explain something like this? "You are the holder of the Triforce of Courage."

He shrugged, giving a half smile as he lifted his hand up a bit. "Well, I see that. But I mean, why did that happen now?" Zelda shook her head.

"The Goddess's will works in mysterious ways, but I believe it appears when we need it most."

"I suppose I can't argue that... When did you figure out that you held the Triforce of Wisdom?"

A loud bang echoed from far away. The two heroes had their attention snapped toward the direction of the sound, only to face one of the walls that surrounded them. Zelda thought about it for a second, before realizing it was the sound of the castle gates being forced open. Ganondorf's army had come early with him. A moment later, different sounds could be heard. There were humans yelling war cries against the guttural shouts of various monsters. The sharp clanging of metal objects hitting each other. Zelda felt panic rise in her throat as the implication of everything hit her.

"I'll explain all you'd like to know later, but we need to leave. What's the fastest way to the stables?" Zelda asked, already walking toward the only exit of the courtyard.

"We could cut through one of the servant's quarters. But wait..." Prince Link still hadn't moved forward. Zelda felt even more adrenaline rush through her when he delayed. They couldn't spare another moment. Ganondorf would probably be pushing people left and right trying to get to the two of them. And as they were right now, they were at an extreme disadvantage. "What about the army that's here? We can't just leave them."

Zelda bit her lip. She hated the idea of leaving them here, but if they followed the plan, they should still be okay. She understood what the Prince meant though, the early arrival of Ganondorf and his army would definitely throw them all off guard, so without more help, the fraction probably suffer more casualties than expected. Zelda shook her head, her eyes looked straight into his pleadingly.

"Your Highness..." her voice choked up. She couldn't find the words. Should she apologize? Explain why they couldn't go? Promise that everything will be alright? There was just so much she wanted to say, yet no words could leave her lips.

However, the prince still seemed to understand what she had wanted to say. After a long glance toward the direction of the fighting and a heavy sigh, he ran toward Zelda and pointed to a door in the opposite direction of the fighting, the door that would lead them in the most direct path to the stables.

It was during their mad dash that the exhaustion from her magic use begun to weigh down on her. With every step Zelda's legs felt more and more like solid lead and she felt mentally drained. She silently prayed she didn't need to use one of those powerful spells again anytime soon, because who knew how much she could exert before collapsing. She had trained for years, had beaten monsters of all varieties and sizes, and yet she still couldn't hold off her greatest enemy for more than a few minutes before getting tired. The idea created a feeling of dread that sat in her stomach like a pit, which only seemed to make it harder for her to keep running on. Thankfully she had a moment to catch her breath as they reached the stables with no incident. There were drastically less horses in the stalls. Only a few were not taken by nobles or knights to their various meeting points. Of the few remaining were of course Epona and Deit. Their tack was sitting nicely outside their stall doors, making the whole endeavor slightly easier. Zelda made a mental note to thank whatever stable hand had that brilliant idea when she met them, before entering Deit's stall. Within minutes, the two heroes were on the way out of the stable and through the castle gates.

It was not long before they hit another road block. While trying to draw as much distance between themselves and the castle as possible, Link and Zelda were spotted by a group of monsters, probably a part of Ganondorf's army that got split up. Zelda wouldn't put it past this group either as it was composed primarily of bokoblins, who she knew had a history of not being the brightest of enemies. What did concern her, however, was the giant Hinox with them. Hinoxes in their own right were also fairly unintelligent, but they were very powerful and loud. If it began to rip trees out of the ground or unearth boulders, the resulting ruckus would easily give away their position to another part of the army, or even Ganondorf himself.

The monsters immediately headed in their direction, squealing in delight upon seeing people they could hit. Link and Zelda reared their horses, turning in the opposite direction they were originally headed, before once again running at full speed. The bokoblins were easily outrun, but the same could not be said for the Hinox. With its massive size, it was able to keep somewhat of a pace with the horses. Not fast enough to completely catch up, but yet not slow enough to be completely out run. They dashed through Hyrule Field once again, though the situation was much different than a few days ago. They weaved through trees, around hills and shallow waters, doing anything to shake the giant away. The single minded monster was not perturbed by their attempts to thwart his path. His feet kept thumping on the ground rhythmically and ground around him tremored as he chased.

Zelda wasn't sure how long it was they were trying to lose the giant, but it was long enough to begin worrying about all of their stamina and how long they could keep this mindless running up for. At this point she realized they would have to chance continuing their escape or facing the Hinox head on. Prince Link seemed to realize this exact same thing and made the decision for her. Without warning, he rode Epona closer to Zelda and Deit. He let go of the reins with one hand and used the other to grab the rapier still tied at Zelda's waist, unsheathing it before jumping off the back of Epona, who was still in a full blown gallop. The Sheikah girl was shocked, her heart thudding in her chest as her and the two horses were left still heading forward. She pulled back hard on the reins, nearly falling off when Deit came to a full, sliding stop. She looked back to see Link, a prince in no armor, only a shield and small sword in his hands as he starred up at a giant beast. It was quite the image that made Zelda quickly realized why he possessed the Triforce of Courage. But with such courage obviously came a sense of impulsivity and recklessness.

The Hinox's arm did a full sweep of the ground in front of it. Link expected this and rolled forward, dodging the attack and was now underneath the monster. He got a good few slashes in at its feet before it stepped back, forcing the prince back out from underneath it. The Hinox raised his arm up and immediately began to bring in back down right over Link. Zelda reacted fast, drawing back her bow and notching an arrow in it. Within a few seconds an arrow was whizzing through the sky and found a landing spot right on the Hinox's large yellow eye. The creature roared, both of its hands going up to its singular eye as blackened blood began to leak from it. Prince Link wasted no time, taking the opportunity to get more hits in on the Hinox's lower half. The giant went into a sort of frenzy after receiving all these hits. In a motion that reminded Zelda of a child throwing a tantrum, the thing stomped hard on the ground over and over, one arm waving through the air while the other still held its eye. Zelda's own eyes widened as she watched Link lose his balance as the ground shook beneath his feet after taking a few steps back. She slid off her horse, running toward the scene as fast as her exhausted legs could carry her and Prince Link fell completely on his back. When she was close enough, she raised her arm toward the Hinox. She focused what energy she could into a blast of shimmering magical energy that blew the creature into its back. The prince stood up once again, the threat of being crushed by giant feet no longer present. Zelda kept moving forward, but a lot slower now. The last spell left her dizzy and more drained than before. Even so, she notched another arrow into her bow and took aim, just waiting for the giant to let go of its eye once more. Prince Link was attacking its feet again, inflicting even more damage on the already festering wounds the Hinox had. It began to sit up and Zelda let her arrow fly where it again hit its mark. Black ichor spurted from its eye more violently as the monster screamed in pain. However its advance was not halted as the now blinded creature still continued its attempt to stand.

Prince Link backed up more until he was side by side with Zelda. The two looked at each other, tiredness clear on both of their faces. Monster blood stained the Prince's once nice clothes. There were a few scratches on his cheek, possibly from hitting a low tree branch while on his horse. His left hand was still gripping onto the rapier tightly while the Triforce on it glowed. He gave a small, apologetic smile before refacing their current adversary. It had brought itself back up to stand to its full height, beaten and worn down, but still standing. Just like the two heroes. It took a few wild swings with its arms, trying to hit something now that it couldn't see. Zelda took a few steps back, the dead leaves on the ground subtly crunching beneath her feet as she did. The Hinox immediately looked in straight in their direction. Apparently the monster had better hearing than she initially gave it credit for. Now aware of where its targets were standing, it reached forward as it screamed in fury.

But suddenly it was silent. It froze in its attack position, balancing on one leg with his arm outstretched toward them, as the giant's red body began to morph. Its color changed into dull gray hue and its bumpy skin smoothed out. It was as if it was turning into stone in front of them. Zelda looked to Link once again, her eyes wide with shock. He looked back at her, an equally surprised reaction on his face. When the Hinox's body had completed its transformation, it shattered. Bits and pieces of the proud beast scattered everywhere and a new figure could be seen behind where it once stood. It looked like a young girl in white with hair a bright shade of cyan. She was holding a book in her hands and looked like she was breathing heavily. When the dust cleared, she made her way up to the pair.

It was strange way to meet someone, but nevertheless the girl was smiling widely. He eyes sparkled as she made clutched her large book tightly against her chest. She walked with confidence, but stopped a little ways in front of them. Zelda could see more details of her now. Her outfit was adorned in various embellishments, mainly blue and golden jewels. The book she was holding was thick and also heavily decorated, like an old spell book. Her smile was warm and comforting. Yet she had a weird show hesitation when as she approached. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Opened it once more, then closed it again. It was as if she didn't know what to say.

"Was it you who did that?" Link asked, breaking the awkward silence. His voice sounded a bit hoarse, probably from exhaustion. The girl nodded, her smile returning. "Thank you. You really helped us out there."

The girl gave a small giggle and began to speak. "No need to thank me, I still do owe you both a great deal." She covered her mouth, purple eyes growing at her own realization of what she said. Zelda and Prince Link exchanged an uncertain glance.

"Do I- we- know you?" Zelda asked, unsure on how to phrase the question. She could see it in the girl's eyes now, that look of knowing. But how was it possible this mysterious girl could know them? Zelda could not speak for the prince, but she was certain she had never seen this girl in her life. Though from his raised eyebrows, the Sheikah assumed the prince was in the same boat.

"Well... sorta?" the girl replied, one hand going up to rub the back of her head. "Link, Princes- uh..." She paused once again. "Prince Link. Zelda. I guess I have a lot to explain to you both."

"Wait, how do you know our names?" Zelda questioned again.

"It's a long, complicated story," the girl sighed, her eyes looking down in thought for just a second before coming back up. "I promise I'll explain it all to you if you come with me. Or I'll explain it as best as I can, anyway." She came up closer to them, her long blue hair bouncing as she moved. "I know I probably sound crazy, but I promise it will make sense."

"I'm not sure..." Zelda hesitated. It's not that she didn't trust the strange girl, because for some reason, she did. Everything in her was saying that the girl was telling the truth. Zelda just knew that with every passing hour, Ganondorf got that much closer to bringing Hyrule to ruin.

"You both really need to rest. Where I live, the Valley of Seers, Ganondorf and his minions won't be able to find you there," she insisted. Prince Link was the one with questions this time.

"Wait, what do you know about Ganondorf?"

The blue haired girl put a hand to her cheek and bit her lip. "Goddesses this is confusing," she muttered quietly. "You both really just have to trust me on this, okay? I would explain it all now, but it's not really safe out here, given what happened today."

There was another strange moment of silence between the three. In the quiet, Zelda became aware of the heaviness of her own breathing as she attempted to recover from all that had transpired. Link and her met eyes again. She saw the rapid rise and fall of his chest he tried to catch his breath at all. The Sheikah looked back and forth between the strange girl and the prince, before finally giving in and nodded. As much as she hated to admit it, Ganondorf definitely got the best of them today. But she would be certain that would never happen again.

"We trust you. We'll go with you," Link said after seeing Zelda's nod. The mysterious girl's eyes lit up once again.

"Oh good! Here, let's go get your horses and I'll lead you to the Valley of Seers. It's not that far I promise," she began to make her way past them, before stopping and turning around to face them again. An embarrassed blush had spread across her face. "Sorry! I forgot to introduce myself, I guess. My name is Lana, the White Sorceress."

* * *

A/N: Confession- I play Breath of the Wild way too much and felt like the Hinoxes needed some redemption, because to be honest they're a really laughable miniboss and I went on a complete killing spree of the poor guys before I wrote this. For real I probably decimated the population of them so badly that they would have been considered heavily endangered if blood moons didn't exist to bring them back. Not that they aren't _hard_ per se, because when I first started the game they did get the best of me, but the way it goes with anyone who has played BotW, you just kinda reach that point where suddenly everything just becomes a lot easier but you keep on playing. But you keep on playing anyway even though it's easy, cause it's still fun as hell. So yeah, this is basically the Hinoxes redemption arc. Your welcome you one eyed, multicolored, ugly cretins.

Rants aside, thanks a lot for all the positive feed back to this story! Honestly every time I get a new review/message/favorite/follow I start having a mini freak out session with my best friend/editor. You all are great!


	9. Truth in the Legends

The entrance to the Valley of Seers was strange. Almost as strange as the name itself. The prince, Sheikah, and sorceress travelled south until reaching the high cliffs that served as Hyrule Kingdom's boundary line. Beyond it was a land laid to waste by horrible monsters that no one ever dared venture beyond. It was considered foolish for anyone to leave the protection of the land that was blessed by the Golden Goddesses'. Only few have tried to go beyond it and none have returned. Even so, Lana raised her hand to the base of the cliff and a opening appeared. She practically skipped through this magically created opening like a child in an open field. It was such an innocent action, as if nothing were wrong possibly with what she was doing. Zelda and Link hesitated outside, immediately beginning to question their decision to follow her. Lana noticed the lack of footsteps behind her and turned around, smiling as she beckoned them, in a show of reassurance.

Prince Link shrugged before leading Epona forward once more. Zelda's heart hammered in her chest with nervousness as she followed the prince into the cave. Once they were all inside, the cliff walls closed back up behind them, plunging them all into complete darkness. Deit snorted, his hooves hitting the ground to show his discomfort with the situation and Zelda couldn't help but silently agree with the horse. What they were doing could easily get them killed. Either by monsters or this weird, yet powerful girl. Never in any of her studies was there even a mention of a fabled Valley of Seers. Neither of the two heroes had the slightest idea of what they were headed towards, but now with only solid rock behind them, they had no choice but to continue pressing onward. Zelda wasn't sure how much complete unease she could stomach in one day, though she suspected she would have to get used to it fast.

"Sorry," Lana's high pitched voice sounded from the darkness. A small ball of light illuminated above her, showing a single path forward. "It's not much farther I promise. We have a lot of supplies that you guys can you to rest up. I'm sure you all are exhausted."

"Thanks. When will you get the part where you explain why you know us?" Link asked, his voice echoing off of the walls of the narrow cave. The trio and the pair of horses began to make their way forward as Lana hesitated with an answer. For a minute or so, the only sound that could be heard was the clopping of the horses' hooves on the rocky ground.

"It might be easier for you guys to digest once you've had a minute to settle down, I think. As I said, it is complicated," Lana answered, her voice sounding somewhat far away. It was like she was deep thought as she spoke.

"But what does that mean, exactly?" Zelda asked, her voice sounding somewhat sharp. She was getting annoyed by the vague answers and it was getting harder to hide it by the minute.

"It's just that I might have to explain thousands of years of history in a short time span. And even if I manage to explain it all in a way that makes sense, who knows if you'd truly believe it," Lana sighed, thoughtfully. The orb of light that was flowing above her extinguished suddenly, exposing another source of light coming from around the cave corner. "Come on, we're almost there."

Lana once again bounded around the corner, her long blue hair flowing gracefully behind her. When Zelda made her way around, she was shocked to see the cave open up to a beautiful green field, dotted with flowers of all different colors. The cliffs surrounded the field, protecting the area from the wasteland Zelda was expecting them to be in. In the center of the field was a kind of fortress, one that looked ancient, but still stood tall. The gray stone it was made of glistened in the orange glow of the now setting sun. Zelda blinked a few times as she took in the area's beauty. How such a place could be kept a secret for so long only filled her with more questions that she wondered if she would ever get a straight answer to.

"You can just let your horses roam. There's no way in or out of here other than the entrance we came through, so they're perfectly safe," Lana said, looking affectionately at the steeds. Zelda and Link took her advice silently, removing their tack and setting it down on nearby rocks. Both horses were damp with sweat under their saddle blankets, showing how hard even they worked today. Once turned loose, both Epona and Deit began to snack on the grasses in the field as their owners followed the White Sorceress closer to the fort.

Upon getting closer, Zelda could see more wear on the old building. Some parts of the wall looks like they were beginning to crumple, vines grew wildly along the crevasses between each stone brink. There also seemed to be signs of intentional damage, like seemingly smashed parts of the wall or small holes like nails had once been driven into it. Almost as if the fortress was once used as an actual battle ground. But what kind of battle could happen in such a secluded place?

Lana opened the large wooden doors leading inside and stepped right in, Link and Zelda close behind. The inside of the fortress was decorated nicely, almost reminiscent of Hyrule Castle. The room they entered in had runners leading from the main door to various halls to the left and right, as well as a grand staircase leading to a second floor. The entry didn't have much as far as artistic décor like the castle, but did have a number of bookshelves on each wall, each completely filled with various manuscripts. While Zelda was talking in her surroundings, another woman appeared from the top of the steps. She looked extremely similar to Lana, so much so that Zelda's first impression was that they might be twins. While her face and body were similar, this woman sported snow while hair, piercing maroon eyes, and an outfit like Lana's, but deep purple in color. The woman looked shocked at their arrival, her posture rigid as her eyes darted back and forth between Link and Zelda. She had the same look as Lana when she first laid eyes on them; it looked like she knew them both, somehow or another. After a minute, her look of shock was replaced with that of frustration.

"Lana. What are they doing here?" the woman spoke. Her voice was deeper and more serious than Lana's.

"Cia, I know we said we wouldn't interfere again, but they needed help," Lana explained, her voice sounded somewhat pleading. Her hands clenched together at her sides as she made her way to the first step of the staircase. "You know that this isn't how it's supposed to be! I was thinking that we just had to do something."

"Like what, Lana? We've discussed this. There isn't anything we can do to fix this." The woman called Cia began to make her way down the stairs to meet them on the first floor. Once she was standing next to Lana, their similarities to each other were even more noticeable. Cia's eyes scanned Zelda and Prince Link once more, taking in their worn down appearance before sighing. "I'm sorry for the rude introduction," Cia said, directly to Link and Zelda this time. "My name is Cia, the Black Sorceress. Please, make yourself comfortable, while I have a quick private chat with my sister about this... situation."

Lana flinched at Cia's words, but she still followed her as they made their way down one of the many halls. The prince laughed nervously once they were out of earshot.

"Think we came at a bad time?" he suggested.

"I would say probably so, Your Highness," the Sheikah girl shrugged.

Zelda looked over to him now, being able to fully assess him for any injury. Thankfully, he appeared to be fine other than a few scratches and bruises, with even the glowing of his newly awakened Triforce piece settling down. Zelda went to work none the less, summoning a few different types of bottled potions from her satchel, all the while silently thanking the Goddesses that her experimental bag worked the way it was supposed to.

"How did you just pull that out of thin air?" Link asked. Zelda smiled, handing him one of the red potions.

"Just a little bit of magic. Please drink it, Your Highness, you'll recover a lot faster," Zelda suggested, taking a bit of blue potion for herself. The liquid was thick and bitter, but she's had it before so she knew what to expect. It appeared that the prince has never experienced the same when he began to cough in disgust after taking a sip. Zelda suppressed a giggle as she watched the Prince's face scrunch.

"What is in this stuff?" he asked, staring at the contents of the bottle.

"Probably better if you didn't think about it as you drank it," she answered as she began to drink from her own bottle. She felt its healing effects began to work its wonders, refilling the energy she had lost from all her magic use and repairing her wounds. She smiled and shook her head as she watched the prince close his eyes and tip back the bottle once more, taking in a few big gulps before shaking his head. Thankfully for him, that was enough for his scratches, including the few on his cheek she had noticed earlier in the day, to begin healing over. Zelda extended her hand to take the bottle, which Link gladly gave up.

"So," he began, swallowing hard to get the taste out of his mouth. "What else do you have in that bag?"

"A lot of things, actually," Zelda answered, thinking of all the things she had packed away. "I hope you don't mind, Your Highness, but I might have borrowed some equipment from the castle."

"That's no problem. Rather you have it than Ganondorf," Prince Link smiled. He made his way over to the first step of the staircase. "What did you take?"

"Oh, well..." Zelda bit her lip as she recalled all that she had ended up 'borrowing'. "Basics I suppose? Medical supplies, some food rations, swords, shields, bows, arrows, books on magic, among other things."

"Wait, what?" Prince Link looked back at her, shock filled his face. "You can fit all that, in there?"

Zelda laughed. "Yes, it surprised me too, honestly. I can't remember if there is a limit to how much this can hold, it was so long ago when I made it."

"You know, that might be even more impressive than the fireball the other day," he smiled, causing Zelda to laugh once again. He turned around so he was facing away from her and slowly headed up the stairs. Zelda followed, curious about what else could be hidden away in the secluded fortress.

What they found was a room that was almost completely empty. The first thing that caught Zelda's attention was a crystal ball on a pedestal in the very center. She approached it, looking in to only a cloudy center. She raised her hand to it and the clouds seemed to respond to her presence. Zelda waved her hand around and the fog followed her movements, but no matter how quickly she moved, it would not reveal what was hiding in the center of the crystal. After a few thwarted attempts to satiate her curiosity, she gave up and looked up once more to see Prince Link surveying the only other thing of interest in the upstairs foyer. It was a beautifully intricate stained glass window, mainly depicting the Triforce with three human like figures as well as a small silhouette of Hyrule Castle on the bottom.

However, the prince seemed to be hung up on one of the figures in particular. The one on the bottom right. When Zelda approached it, she could see why. The glass showed a man that looked a lot like him. From the angles of his face to his sky blue eyes, it looked too much like the prince to deny any similarities in resemblance. The man wore a simple green tunic and wielded a long silver blade.

"Is this supposed to be me?" he asked, still staring at it.

"Yes." Lana's voice answered from behind the pair. They both turned around suddenly in surprise to see the sorceress sisters standing calmly, any sign of their previous frustration was gone.

Zelda looked back at the window, surveying the other two figures. If the one near the Triforce of Courage was supposed to be Link, then the others logically would be her and Ganondorf. The person meant to be in her likeness was wearing a simple white gown, her hands up in prayer with her eyes closed. Zelda's eyes drifted upward, focusing in on the topmost golden triangle, only to see something that didn't resemble a true person at all. The figure near the Triforce of Power seemed more like a demon. Its eyes burned blood red and its nose looked more like a snout, while having a thick muscle filled body.

"I apologize for earlier," Cia said. "I did not realize you both were in such a precarious situation when Lana found you. And, I suppose, she is right when we both owe you an explanation." Cia's maroon eyes switched between the both of them as she spoke, but they always seemed to linger just slightly longer on the prince.

"Traditionally, we're not supposed to speak with you at all, but after the War Across the Ages, everything now is pretty thrown off," Lana sighed.

"War Across the Ages? I've never heard of that," Zelda questioned, her eyebrows raised.

"Ah. Of course you wouldn't know what that is," Lana said, sheepishly wringing her hands together. She turned to Cia for help. "Where do we even start to explain?"

"The beginning always seems like a good place," Link said quietly, like he meant to say it only to himself. But all four of them heard it. Lana's brows furrowed together as Cia calmly closed her eyes. She began to speak again when she opened them.

"Of course it's the best place to start; unfortunately the beginning was such a long time ago." Cia took a big intake of breath before starting again. "Tens of thousands of years ago, an early kingdom that would one day become Hyrule lived in piece with the Triforce and the Goddess Hylia, who served as their protector. When an army of monsters led by a being of pure evil came to destroy the Kingdom and take the Triforce for its own, Hylia devised a plan to protect both things for generations. She chose two heroes to confront the evil and defend the Triforce, before departing this mortal world. Her Grace also appointed me-" Cia stopped, glanced over at Lana, then corrected her statement. "-us to watch over the Triforce to ensure it remains in the right hands throughout time."

"The Goddess Hylia chose you two very specifically. You see, very few can use the full power of the Triforce. The Golden Goddesses designed it in such a way that only mortals that truly possessed the qualities they represent- the qualities of power, courage, and wisdom- could use the Triforce without it breaking into separate pieces. You both are two of those rare people." Lana explained.

"So," Zelda stopped the White Sorceress. She wanted to make sure no information was simply glossed over. She wanted to absorb it all and have no more questions after today. Zelda had read the history of Hyrule over and over, but never once were specific details about the functions of the Triforce or any of the Goddesses's roles ever mentioned. To Hyrule's historians, that was an ever plaguing mystery. "Din, Farore, and Nayru, created a sort of failsafe system within the Triforce? To keep just anybody from using it? But why?"

Cia shook her head. "No one knows exactly why. Even though the Golden Goddesses abandoned the world after creating Hyrule, it is evident that they cared for the land. They did so much to ensure its success, including naming Hylia its divine protector and creating the Triforce for their people to use in times of trouble."

"But there was still an evil that even the Goddess Hylia couldn't stop?" Link asked. His face looked completely captured by the story.

"Yes," Lana said, continuing on. "Demise, the being created from pure evil beyond the blessed land, wanted the Triforce and would stop at nothing to get it. Hylia had tried hard to battle Demise before departing the mortal realm, but it proved too powerful for a deity that had lived too long on earth. Her Grace put a plan into motion, sealing away the evil being and the Triforce until you both were able to use it to banish the evil once and for all. Though you had succeeded in your mission, however, Demise was cunning. Before his defeat, he used the last of his power to put a curse on you all."

"The curse dictated that the two of you would be reborn throughout time and the reincarnation of his evil and hatred would be there to follow you until it eventually succeeds," Cia said, the corners of her mouth turning down slightly as she recounted what had happened. "You both have been reborn a few dozen times. Within one of your earlier lifetimes, Demise was reborn as the Gerudo King and had successfully found the location of the Triforce. But when he touched it, the Goddesses failsafe, as you called it, had worked. In that moment, the Triforce had split into three pieces, with Power remaining with the Gerudo King as it was the piece that most resonated with his soul. The other two pieces found themselves with each of you, though the true reason for that is mostly unknown. It could be your connection to the curse, being initially chosen by Hylia, or Farore and Nayru's will for you to represent them. Maybe even the perfect combination of all three reasons. Nonetheless, by using only pieces of the Triforce instead of the whole thing, you were able to once again triumph."

"Has the Triforce remained separated since then?" Zelda asked. Cia nodded once again, confirming Zelda's speculation.

"It seems that evil's reincarnation has held on tightly to the Triforce of Power, meaning that throughout the rest of your lifetimes you retained your individual pieces as well. A few times the Triforce has been reformed momentarily, but they almost immediately broke apart again after it had been used due to evil's hold on it."

"So you guys have been sitting here for thousands of years, watching this cycle repeat over and over again?" Link asked, his concern shifting to the two sorceresses. They both looked at him with a weird warmth in their eyes that made Zelda uncomfortable.

"For the most part, yes. It was Her Grace Hylia's will that we only observed and did not interfere unless it appeared as if the Triforce itself were to be destroyed," Lana answered. "And though I can't imagine how that situation could possibly happen, we did interfere once when we shouldn't have. This is where it all gets more confusing than it already is."

"Unfortunately, the reincarnation of evil wrapped its influence on me and persuaded me to do its bidding for a short amount of time," Cia admitted, her eyes turning away from them all for a second. "Thankfully, you all were able to save me from him, but there had been a tremendous cost. I was manipulated into using my power to open the Gate of Souls. It's the only portal able to move beings from one time and place to another. The spirit of evil was able to utilize his allies from the past, causing an all out war. The War Across the Ages." Cia took a deep breath in, pain showing in her eyes. It was quite obvious that she felt guilt for what had happened during the war and was still dealing with it. Lana noticed Cia's discomfort and jumped in once again.

"The War Across the Ages occurred over a thousand years ago, during your last lifetime before this. While we were able to save Cia and defeat Ganon, you both had..." Now Lana looked uncomfortable. "Fallen during the battle as well. As Watcher of the Triforce, I was able to use the full Triforce to restore everything to how it should be, but it didn't quite work. While everything was put into its proper place in history and everything in the present was fixed, you both seemed to disappear entirely. It was strange, but it was almost as if you both never existed in the present. To the point that no one ever remembered you existed during that lifetime in the first place. When we returned to the Valley of Seers, we searched and searched, but we couldn't find any trace of where you both or the reincarnation of evil had gone. Usually even in between lifetimes we could sense the existence of your souls but," Lana paused again. "Until Ganondorf was reborn, there was just... nothing. When we finally found you once again, we were relieved, but again very confused. Until now, the reincarnation cycle has been very predictable. Every thousand years or so, Zelda would be born into the royal family as a princess and protect the land until Link found a way to defeat evil once again."

Prince Link and Zelda gave each other an uncertain glance at that. Lana continued to speak before they could question it.

"That might seem strange to you, but that's how the cycle went on. But now, everything is switched around. For us, it's worrisome. We can't predict how this is going end like we used to. We can only hope that all turns out as it should be and be ready to assist you both if you are in dire need."

There was a silence in the room for a few moments, before a hesitant Cia spoke up once more.

"Though to you it might not mean so much to you, as you don't remember it, but I want to sincerely apologize for my actions. I caused this. What I did damaged the cycle. Lana was right. This isn't how it's supposed to be…"

There was another silence as the apologetic Cia looked to the ground, her hands squeezing each other tightly. Zelda bit her lip as she thought. It felt odd to accept her apology when neither her nor Prince Link remembered the source of her guilt. There was also the matter of so much history being explained at once. To anyone else, it would sound like a bizarre story, but to her it did make sense. Through the years she has discovered so many legends, all vaguely written, but it lined up with what they were saying. They always spoke of a princess and her hero. At the time, Zelda thought the legends were changed to suit more of a fairytale style, when in fact the heroes could have been anybody. But if she previously was a princess, then those legends were more than fables, they were actually abridged pieces of Hyrule's history. Her own history.

"Your apology is accepted, Cia," Prince Link said. Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice, tears seeming to well up in her eyes. Zelda felt awful when she saw that. Cia's been around for so long, just wanting to apologize for her mistakes, but neither of them were there to give her that closure.

"But I… We still don't know how this is going to end. It might not go well, so you can't forgive me yet," Cia stammered.

The prince smiled. It was probably the most genuine smile Zelda had seen anyone give. "Everything will be okay. Besides." Link looked to Zelda, smile still on his face. "We've done this many times before, haven't we?"

* * *

A/N: Sorry that was very heavy dialogue and lore based. But I hope you found it interesting and clears up what I said in an much earlier author's note about all the LoZ games being a part of this story's history. As for the order of the history, that's entirely up to you! I'm not big on the whole "Zelda game timeline" debate because I think it should be up to the player to decide since it'll make each person's perception of Hyrule unique and all. But that's just my opinion.

Since this was so lore heavy, if you have any questions regarding the lore I present in this story that you would like cleared up, please don't hesitate to ask and I'll give you the best answer I can without any spoilers for future chapters!

Thanks again for reading!


	10. Guiding Voices

After their explanation of the true history of Hyrule, the sorceress sisters showed both heroes around the fortress, and left with the instructions to make themselves at home for however long they needed. The prince ended up going back to the armory after the conclusion of the grand tour, because it was filled to the brim with enchanted weapons and gadgets. Each one was apparently used by him at one point of his previous lives, collected and preserved for years by the sisters. He was only alone in the room for a few moments before Zelda walked in to join him, though she didn't say much. Her arms held a few leather covered books, with one already open in one hand. They didn't speak during the beginning of the night- Zelda was too enraptured in her books while Link was entertained by sorting through all of the weapons that he'd like to take with them. As the night drew on, Zelda did suggest creating a plan to go by for the next few days. It was decided between them that they would only stay the night and leave first thing in the morning to assure Ganondorf did not get too far ahead in his own plans. Their first stop would be to the Lost Woods, which according to Lana's recordings was the last known location of the Master Sword. The legendary blade of evil's bane was something Link wielded in every life and it was said to be the only weapon that could kill Ganondorf's various incarnations- for a time anyway.

Despite their decision to only stay for one night, they both were too anxious to sleep for long. They awoke pretty early the next morning, so Zelda thought it would be a good idea to go over all that they had before leaving. She found a long, empty table in one of the many rooms of the fortress and began to pull items out of her magical bag one by one. As she did, the prince went back to the armory to grab the additional weapons he found useful the previous night. He stacked the items up high in his hands to avoid taking multiple trips to the armory and back, assuming that Zelda would tell him that he was taking too much and he'd have to go through all of his new gear yet again. He almost dropped the entire pile on the ground when he saw all of the things Zelda had unloaded from her bag. He almost felt like he was now under preparing compared to her. In the room now lay six different swords, three shields including the one he used yesterday, four bows, hundreds of arrows, several large books, food rations, canteens for water, and many bottles of different colored potions. She even had a few sets of clothes for the both of them. After surveying the many weapons he brought in, she handed him a set of the clothes to put on.

They were simple traveler's clothes. Pretty sturdy with a light set of chainmail underneath. It consisted of a mainly green tunic, though it was broken by geometric designs on it, pants and tough leather boots. He met back up with Zelda after putting them on to find her in a similar outfit, with the main difference being that her tunic was purple in color. In these clothes the two of them would look like simple townspeople just going from one place to another, which he suspected to be her goal. It would probably be too easy to spot a prince and a Sheikah traveling together, even from far away. Once the two were properly equipped and everything was once again stuffed inside of Zelda's bag, they left the fortress on their horses and headed to the eastern edge of Hyrule- where the Lost Woods grew.

"Hey," Link spoke up. They had began their journey pretty quietly with only a few words passing between them and while he didn't mind the silence, he had a question burning in the back of his mind ever since hearing about their thousands of years of shared history.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Zelda asked, still looking forward on the path.

"This might be a weird question, but did you..." Prince Link paused and adjusted his weight on the saddle a bit. "Did you recognize me at all the day we met? Back in the throne room?"

Zelda looked up towards the prince's direction, one eyebrow raised. He began to rethink asking when the look of confusion never left her face.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't," Zelda admitted. A sense of disappointment washed over him when he received the answer. However, she still continued. "If it's any consolation, I did recognize the castle, strangely enough. I remembered the gates, the throne room, the small courtyard Farore's Wind transported us to. It felt odd at first; being so familiar with a place I've never been to before. After a short time, I did start to recognize even small things. I realized knew almost the entire layout of the castle within a day, I recognized the smell of old parchment in the study, and..." Zelda shook her head. "I apologize. I got carried away. I suppose it would make sense that I found the castle familiar, right?"

"Being a princess in so many life times, I can imagine so," the prince said.

"Why do you ask?" Zelda questioned. Link almost didn't want to answer, but when he looked back at her he couldn't help himself.

"I just, I was certain that I knew you from someplace," he said. As he said it, both of Zelda's eyebrows furrowed together ever so slightly, making eyes squint as if she was trying to piece together what he was saying so it made sense. "That's the same look you had when you walked into the throne room. It might seem crazy, but when I saw that look, I had a sense of déjà vu. I vividly remembered those same bright blue eyes assessing the situation in front of them. Just planning the right way to deal with whatever it may be." He shook his head, before smiling at her. "I thought it was all in my head. That I was just dreaming or getting you confused with someone else. But the more I saw that quizzical look you often seem to have, the more certain I became that I've seen it hundreds of times before. But, like you said, it would make sense that I found you familiar."

Zelda looked down at her hands when he finished speaking. Through the shadows casted by the trees around them, Link could've sworn he saw a blush spread across Zelda's cheeks.

"Is that why you believed me that day? When no one else did?" she asked, her voice somewhat quiet. Maybe she really was embarrassed by what he said. That would make two of them.

Link didn't respond right away. Instead he looked forward, breathing in the warm spring air as he did. Hyrule Field was so peaceful and quiet; no one would have ever guessed that the entire kingdom just faced a major upheaval yesterday. It reassured him slightly knowing that it would take a while before Ganondorf could do anything to change the land he loved so much permanently.

"There were actually a lot of reasons why I believed you- that was only one of them," he finally answered. He glanced back at Zelda. She was looking back at him again, her eyes soft and crinkled at the edges because of the small smile on her lips.

"Thank you, Your Highness. For believing me when I don't think anybody else in that room did."

"Don't mention it, Zelda," he shrugged as he began to smile back at her. "You don't mind if I just call you by your name, right? Drop the formalities and all that. I never liked them much anyway."

"Of course, Your Highness. Call me whatever you wish to," she said. She had just glanced forward again before Prince Link's small laugh made her look back at him.

"That goes both ways, you know. You can call me Link," he said, his smile growing when the blush returned to Zelda's cheeks.

"But... Doesn't that go against all sorts of etiquette? Both from the nobility and commoner's perspective?" she asked, unable to mask her confusion. Link shrugged once again.

"Yes, I guess it does. But I would prefer it, if I'm going to be honest." Zelda once again hesitated, her puzzled stare returning once more as she thought about the request. "If it helps, you really don't have to consider me a prince until we defeat Ganondorf. Until then, just consider me a hero, like you."

"Are you sure?" she questioned once again.

"Of course," he said, ducking beneath a low tree branch as Epona walked easily beneath it. He looked forward again in order to pay attention to where his horse was walking, or else he get a nice new scratch on his face.

"Then alright, Link," Zelda said his name somewhat awkwardly, like she still wasn't confident in their compromise. Even if she wasn't, Link couldn't deny how much he enjoyed hearing someone say his name again. Everyone called him by some sort of title, the only ones who ever referred to him strictly by name was his parents, but after his father's death he really hasn't heard it since. While he would have enjoyed anyone referring to him by his first name, for some reason he couldn't imagine any other voice would say his name quite as beautifully as hers.

"By the way, you're anything but common," Link added in.

"Excuse me?"

"You said it was improper etiquette for a commoner. Believe me, Zelda, you are not common by any means."

"I- um- thank you. That's very nice of you to say," she stammered. Link could see her blush clearly now, even through his peripheral vision. It made him smile again. Part of him thought he should stop embarrassing her like this, but the other part liked seeing her a little flustered. What would be the harm in complimenting her anyway?

"I'm only telling you the truth," he admitted. "Anyway, this might have been a good question to ask before we left, but do we have a way of knowing where in the Lost Woods the Master Sword is? Or do we just have to... get lost?" Link asked his voice light despite the seriousness of the question.

"There's a roughly drawn map in one of the books I borrowed from the sorceresses," Zelda laughed. "All of their books are very interesting. The one I was reading before I fell asleep last night gave more detail into the sorceresses' findings concerning what abilities the Triforce gives us. It seems that once all three pieces are awakened from their dormant state, all of us experience enhanced abilities of some sort."

"What will I be able to do?" Link asked. His voice was eager like a child's when they were given a wrapped present.

"The Triforce of Courage seems to give you increased physical abilities. In a few days time, you should find that you're stronger, faster, and more agile than ever before, as well as having incredible amounts of stamina. It said that on several occasions you've gone complete days without sleeping before."

"Well I guess that would explain why I barely slept last night," he mused.

Zelda raised an eyebrow, concern for his well being seemed emanate from her even though she didn't say a word. Link was quick to reassure her. He hated the feeling of her worrying over him almost immediately as he felt it.

"Don't worry about me, I'm feeling perfectly fine. Will I be able to do magic like you one day though?"

Zelda's tense aura seemed to loosen as she sighed. "The book didn't say yes or no specifically, but I don't see why not. It'll take some practice though."

"So I guess that means I won't be as naturally gifted as you?"

"I don't know if it's natural as much as it is gifted. The Triforce of Wisdom grants me mainly strong magical abilities, which would explain why I'm the only Sheikah able to use magic, or even one of the few true magic users in Hyrule itself. It was very difficult to learn how to use magic properly by self teaching. Hopefully it gives me endurance to use magic as well; I was almost ready to collapse after yesterday." She continued on, now very obviously heavily interested in the information she had absorbed. "Unfortunately, Ganondorf's power will be enhanced as well, though that is to be expected."

"He's nothing we can't handle I'm sure."

There was a silence that followed Link's reassurance. Could they truly handle him once the Triforce of Power has strengthened him? They had stopped him so many times in the past, that saving Hyrule once more should be almost guaranteed. Though in that same instance, they both wordless wondered what the breaking point in that pattern would be. When would the light not be able to prevail over darkness?

Zelda cleared her throat, breaking the stream of anxious thoughts they were victims of. "Does it bother you? Knowing that it's your own advisor?" The subject of her question did little tear either of their minds from the upcoming dangers ahead of them. The sound of her voice did seem to release some of the tension that Link had in his shoulders which he was unaware of.

"Would it be bad to say that of everyone I knew, I'm not surprised it would be him?" Link chuckled at his own small joke. "I just... what bothers me most is just how I wouldn't have known if it weren't for you. He said he was going to manipulate me then kill me somehow and he was so good at keeping appearances that no one would've suspected a thing. It's unsettling to think about. It just makes me wonder what he's done in the past to get his way. The thought of him using people and tossing them aside or senselessly killing for no real purpose other than he wants to have ultimate power... I hate it."

"Link, I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be. I should be thanking you really. You saved my life twice already, as well as so many other innocent lives with your plan," he assured her in attempt to raise her spirits even slightly.

"It wasn't entirely my plan. You did come up with a lot of it too." Link's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she so easily passed off all of her effort.

"Please don't doubt yourself. You came up with the bones of the plan, the captains and I just worked out a bit of the details. Most everything was all because of you."

Zelda spoke up to give him credit once more, but this time Link didn't hear it. Instead he heard a strange a whisper from inside his head. It wasn't staying any specific words that he could pick out, but instead the whisper seemed to be chanting a simple song. Link halted Epona, his head turning to the left and the voices grew louder, as if they were coming from that direction. He scanned the horizon. Through the various landforms his eyes found a tall building in the distance. As he saw it, a chill went down his back and the voices in his head silenced. He could hear normally again, but Zelda was quiet. A tense air that crackled between them as she waited for him to explain what just happened.

"What do you suppose that building is?" Link asked as he pointed towards it. Zelda's eyes squinted as she tried to make out details of the building.

"I think that would be the Temple of Time. Why?"

"We need to go there," Link stated, turning Epona to begin walking in that direction. Zelda hesitated once more.

"But what about the Master Sword?"

"We'll get it. There's just something we need to do over there. I can feel it," Link looked over his shoulder, a gentle smile on his lips. "Do you trust me?"

Zelda didn't hesitate this time. She nodded.


End file.
